Scarlett
by lizzybudd
Summary: Looking for her own brother she finds someone else's instead... Rated T for swearing
1. Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles :)

* * *

It was around midnight. In this part of town the light was dimmer, stars were a little easier to see without the blinding glow of the busier streets in the city that never sleeps. This part of the city never sleeps either, they just don't like to advertise their existence. _Ka-thunk ka-thunk. Ka-thunk ka-thunk_. My new board made a satisfying rhythmic thudding noise as it coasted over the cracks in the pavement.

My destination came into view so I easily dropped down off the curb and streaked across the dark street without looking, confident no cars would be passing through the area at this time of night. I flipped my board up with my foot and caught it, tucking it under my arm as I skipped up the concrete steps then shoving my way through the club house entrance without losing momentum. From outside faint bass had been audible and as soon as I opened the heavy door it broke over me in a wave. Without hesitating I pushed my way in past a few kids lounging in the foyer area, eliciting a "Hey!" of annoyance, my answer to which being a casual flip of the bird over my shoulder as I tripped lightly down some stairs leading to the first tier of the levelled warehouse. Each concrete ring was about three foot wide, four of them ran around the perimeter of the giant room leading down to a massive central area. I had no idea what this place had been before it was taken over by the gang who occupied it now but these days it was swarming with kids. Throwing my board down I flopped into one of the beanbags that littered this section of the club house and scraped my hoodie back from my face before unzipping it, dumping it on top of my board along with my backpack. It was hot in here after the cool air outside and the increased number of bodies added to the humidity.

Impatiently my eyes scanned the room from beneath my dark bangs, I gave an unconscious flick of my head to clear my vision before pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. My brown eyes scanned the room out of habit but I knew my big brother was unlikely to be in this area. The stadium style seating I was perched at the top of looked down on a large area that held a boxing ring and lots random workout gear. To my far right, built into the side of the building, was a decent sized indoor skate area which had enough ramps and rails to keep the skaters happy. On the far wall directly across from my perch and on the other side of the workout pit was scaffolding reaching from the floor all the way to the high ceilings. To my left was a large area filled with arcade games. Overrunning all of this were kids ranging in age from twelve to eighteen. It was Friday night which was always the busiest as the kids who were still in school celebrated the end of the week by coming to hang out with their less educationally inclined mates. The free games, food, booze, music, drugs….free everything was just too tempting for even the most streetwise kid who knew places like this always had an agenda.

My brother had dragged me to this place a few weeks ago and announced that we would be crashing here until further notice before taking off and only coming to check up on me every couple of days…that was until recently. As of today I hadn't seen Hayden for a week, way longer than usual and it was making me feel creeped out. Where the hell was he? I'd taken a little while to get used to this bizarro set up, at first the 'kid heaven' vibe had just screamed pedo at me but when no creepy old men came to offer me candy I'd slowly relaxed and began to enjoy the ride. There was plenty here to keep me happy and since I'd dropped out of school a few years ago I mainly spent my days skating and playing arcade games. Some kid had set up a drum kit behind Mortal Combat 3 a few days ago and let me have a hit which had been fun for a while. If Hayden had been around he would have made me practice in the boxing ring without a doubt. The guy was paranoid about me being able to protect myself and I couldn't blame him really.

Right now there was the usual martial arts training going on, pit held a bunch of kids going at each other bare fisted. Other places we'd crashed at before had had free food and drink like this one but the video games, booze and indoor skate park were new. Someone was trying really hard to draw in the neighbourhood kids and doing a good job of it too. It'd been ok here for a while, but now I was getting freaked out again by my brothers continuous disappearing acts and just wanted to find him and go. Where the hell _was_ he?

My attention was caught by the movement of some larger bodies through the throng of kids dancing near the scaffolding where the large speakers were set up. The older club members, the ones over eighteen, rarely came into this area unless it was to watch a particularly promising fight where, if they liked what they saw go down in the pit, they would take the lucky winner into the back rooms of the warehouse for God knows what. More training? A membership badge? All I knew was we were barely here for a week before Hayden had his chance in the ring then he was taken back into the rooms behind the black door. From then on I had only been able to see him in short snatches and he refused to tell me what was going on despite my persistent nagging and puppy dog eyes.

Now as I watched the older kids moving through the crowd in their usual unofficial uniform of black on black I huffed in frustration, there were too many bodies between us and I couldn't tell if Hayden was with them. They were making a bee line for the black door at the back of the warehouse and would reach it in a few minutes. Swearing I quickly scooped up my hoodie and shoved it into my backpack before slinging it on and leaping down the stadium steps with my board under my arm. As I darted around a few guys practicing punches with boxing pads I thought I saw Hayden's profile and redoubled my efforts to reach them before they escaped out the rear door. I wove between two pillars and came up short as he was suddenly right there in front of me.

"I'm tellin ya man, they're real. Crank swears he was there last night when they took one of them down. Green and with…" the guy next to Hayden was hissing furiously at him as they pushed through the crowd. Hayden must have felt my eyes on him because at that moment he glanced over his shoulder, caught sight of me and roughly shoved the guy next to him. "Shut up." He jerked his head meaningfully towards me then turned to face me with a frown. "What do you want kid?"

I summoned up a frown to match his, I had no urge to try the puppy dog eyes this time around. "Where the _hell_ have you been Hayden? I've been looking everywhere for you!" I crossed my arms across my chest angrily. The guy next to Hayden snickered. "Jeez Hayden who is this chick, your mom?"

I snapped a glare at him and jerked my chin at him as I gave him the once over "Fuck you dickhead." I spat. Hayden held an arm out to block the guy as he moved towards me threateningly and I smirked at his pissed off look.

Hayden gave an exasperated huff. "Look Scarlett I don't have time for this, something big went down last night and I've been called in to help handle it. This is huge for me so just get lost will ya?"

My smirk slid off my face and I reached out to grab at his arm as he turned to leave. "I don't like it here Hayden!" I blurted in desperation. "Can't we just go? Bec would take…"

"Jesus Christ Scarlett," he shook me off angrily "would you grow the fuck up already? There's food here and heaps of shit to do. If you're that bored go back to school." He threw the last bit over his shoulder as he started walking away again. The guy with him held my gaze a few moments before joining my brother, he gave an exaggerated pout and clasped his hands to his chest mockingly. "Will you be ok princess?" he simpered. I growled and flipped him off as he laughed and turned his back on me.

"Asshole!" I shouted. His mocking laughter drifted back to me over the music and with a snarl I started after them again only to be brought up short with a startled "Ooof" as I bounced off a hard wall of flesh.

I looked up into the hard face of Xever and blanched with fright. Where the hell had he come from? Xever was a scary dude the other kids warned my about. I had never seen him this up close before but was in no doubt he was the head honcho around here. He was a tall lanky guy known for having a bad temper and cutting tongue. He used feet and fists on anyone who displeased him and everyone here knew to stay out of his way. Word was he carried two wicked butterfly knives and could fillet you before you could blink. He glared down at me for a moment, black eyes cold in his dark face, before a flash of recognition lightened his expression, he paused then gruffly spat out "Go!" he drawled, wiggling his fingers at me while I blinked stupidly at them "Play!" I took him up on his dismissal and scampered off hurriedly as he disappeared in the same direction as Hayden, not stopping until I was hidden in the lower beams of the scaffolding closest to the back door.

Letting out a breath I watched Xever and his entourage enter the back rooms of the club house, the door was closed firmly behind them and a large meathead took up guard duty with his arms crossed over his massive chest. "Dammit!" I huffed. What now?

* * *

"Dammit!"

"Be calm my son, there is nothing that can be achieved when anger clouds the mind." Splinter's face remained placid, a reflection of his voice, as he watched his agitated son pace the length of the den once again. Raphael's snort bordered on rude, he raised both his hands to rub over his scalp then made yet another sharp turn and stalked back towards the far side of the room.

"Raph, Donnie will be fine, we just need to come up with a plan." Leonardo stood to one side of the path Raph was wearing into the rug, face stoic and voice soft. "We'll get him back as soon as..."

"Can it Leo!" Raph swung angrily and shoved a green finger into his brother's plastron. Leo instantly stiffened and narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what would come next.

"C'mon Raph…" Michelangelo's voice was soft and pleading as he straightened from his spot leaning against the wall. Raph immediately flung his arm behind him towards Mikey's face, finger still pointed accusingly, angry eyes never leaving Leo. "You too Mikey!" Mikey had a second to be impressed at the excess of emotion contained within a single digit, not to mention his perfect aim without looking, then Raph's voice sent his stomach plummeting.

"Fearless leader," Raph spat "why the hell did you make us retreat? How could you just _leave_ him there?!" His other hand came up to shove Leo back a step then he let both arms drop to his side, teeth and fists clenched. "Gah!" He stalked over to the practice dummy in the corner and proceeded to punch the stuffing out of it in an attempt to curb his anger.

Leo sighed and turned to Mikey, "We'll get him back." His younger brother nodded wordlessly. "We just have to think, what would Donny do?"

"Blow something up?" Mikey's voice rose hopefully at the end.

"I guess, it could cause a nice distraction and allow us to infiltrate the hideout." Leo's voice was laced with doubt as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Operation Blow Out. Ooh, I know where Donny keeps his T-bombs!" Mikey sprung towards the door of Donny's lab and Leo deftly caught him by the top ridge of his shell.

"I don't think Donny would want you in there going through his stuff Mikey, even if he needs rescuing he would rather you didn't blow yourself up in the process."

"Aw man, that was one time!"

Leo released him and cut him a dead eyed look.

"Fine." Mikey pouted for a moment then brightened, "How about cutting the power? That's always one of his favourites! Then we can just stealth in and rescue him".

"Well I do like it better than the bombs. A bit simplistic though don't you think?" Leo looked over to Master Splinter questioningly.

"The simpler the better I think in this case Leonardo. You have one objective only, retrieve your brother swiftly and return him home".

"Well what are you dweebs waiting for?" Raph stepped between them, green skin shining with sweat. His brothers could see straight away the glint of anger had left his eyes leaving a cold determination. "Let's go already before they get too organised."

* * *

After my failed attempt at following Hayden and getting some answers I was loitering amongst the lower beams of the scaffolding a few feet away from the rear doors. I'd hung around closer to them for all of fifteen seconds before the guard had noticed me and told me to "Shove off" with a clip around the ear to drive his point home. I scowled angrily at the ape and rubbed my scalp where he'd managed to scuff me. Douche bag. I checked my phone for the hundredth time and tapped Hayden's number to try calling him again. Stupid nob had his phone on silent. Either that or he was ignoring me. I scowled harder, dick.

"Hey, loser, you're in my spot." I was startled out of my grump as a passing kid roughly shoved me with his shoulder. My elbow slipped off its perch on the scaffolding next to my head at his jostling and my chin jerked sharply down before my neck dealt with the sudden weight of my head. My eyes narrowed as I glared up at the jerk through my bangs, clenching my jaw against his rough laughter. Drawing myself up to my full height I pulled my lips back from my teeth in a parody of a smile.

"The hell you just say?" I ground out. He cocked his head at me and took a step closer menacingly, placing a hand on a beam near my head so he could lean into my space.

"I said.." that was as far as he got before I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulled him closer and kneed him in the balls. I was trying to do it as hard as I could but my aim was a little off and I mostly got him in the thigh. He still let out a strangled sound as he bent double for a few moments to regain his composure then straightened with murder in his eyes. I was already moving, ducking under his arm and scampering back towards the guard at the rear door. I skidded to a halt as I drew level with the meathead and ducked behind him just as the tool chasing me made a grab for me. He missed and as his hand glanced off the shoulder of the guy I was now standing behind I made my voice high and hysterical "Oh God mister you gotta help me he was trying to cop a feel under the scaffolding and now he's _after_ me…"

"You little bitch!" the douche I'd kneed in the balls made another grab for me and I cowered back behind my makeshift protector as he placed a meaty paw on the jerks chest and shoved him back. Soon they were into it on my behalf and I smirked as I quietly cracked the door open and slipped through pulling it shut behind me with a low snik.


	2. Brothers

_No reviews so far but hopefully at least a few people have read my first chapter and enjoyed it on some level! I didn't give this story the best title or blurb so maybe that has something to do with it, any suggestions would be welcome :) Oh well, here is the next installment anyway. I'm hoping to do one per weekend._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

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I grinned as the door closed behind me then blew a victorious raspberry at it. I could faintly hear arguing on the other side and knew it was only a matter of seconds before they realised I'd taken off. Hopefully they wouldn't realise I'd slipped through the door. Ok, where to now? I adjusted my board under my arm and began walking down the corridor. On either side of me were regularly spaced doors with numbered plaques. I opened a few randomly out of curiosity and found they were mostly storage rooms holding different equipment. Up ahead the corridor split into a T section, I moved forward quickly, figuring I needed to move fast before I got caught and kicked out again. With no signs to guide me I took a right and hoped for the best.

As I wound my way further into the depths of the building I soon found myself completely turned around. I seemed to have made my way to a section of the building that was largely storage and unpopulated. Next intersection I turned left, I was actually starting to hope I ran into someone just so I knew there were people back here. There was a pretty good chance I would get my ass handed to me but I could always play the Hayden card to get me out of trouble. Maybe I should back track and take a left at that first intersection...I bit my lip for a moment in indecision then decided to press on, how big could this warehouse really be anyway?

Now the doors on each side were spread further apart and had small windows as well as numbered plaques. I stood up on tippy toes to look into one and saw it was an empty holding cell of sorts with a cot bolted to the wall and toilet in the corner. I dropped back down and frowned to myself, this was getting weird, what kind of club house needed so much stored equipment and cells? I tried a handle experimentally and found it was locked, to the left of the frame was a touch pad with a blinking red light which I figured kept them secured. Shrugging I continued down the hallway.

Abruptly the lights in the corridor snapped off plunging me into total darkness. This was immediately followed by a chorus of electronic buzzes and clicks which I quickly identified as the doors disengaging. I stifled a scream, jamming my fist against my mouth in an effort to stay calm. In the distance I could hear raised voices, shouts and screams echoing through the building, bouncing across each other and getting jumbled. I raised a trembling hand in front of my face to confirm just how dark it was, yep pretty dark, before groping for the wall and clinging to it like a life line. I was officially getting freaked out. Banging, crashing sounds had joined the yelling with the occasional pop of a gun being fired.

My head snapped up as echoing voices and footsteps became more audible back the way I'd come. Bouncing torchlight, faint but getting stronger, lit up the corridor with a jerky strobing effect. In a moment of indecision I looked around frantically up and down the hallway before leaping into action and trying one of the doors to the cells. I gave a small gasp of relief as the handle turned then was inside with the door closed again just in time. I held my breath in the darkness until a moment later quick footsteps belonging to at least two people made their way past my hiding place then faded off. Though the small window their torches made the darkness jump and dance before settling its cloak back over me again.

I waited a moment longer before determining the coast was clear. I reached in the darkness to find the door handle, more determined than ever to find Hayden again and drag him the hell out of here. Shit was going down apparently. My fingers brushed the knob and at the same time a low breathy moan sounded from behind me. I froze as all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and my skin tried to crawl right off my body in a wave of goose bumps. What the hell was that? I whimpered in fear as scraping slithering sounds whispered in the darkness followed by another soft groan. With a shaking hand I reached into my back pocket for my phone, my only source of light, and swiped it on. It sounded like there was a person in this cell and that they were in pain. I unsteadily aimed the light of the phone towards the area where the groans had come from and my breath hitched in my throat.

There was definitely someone in the cell with me, on the cot facing me was a guy lying on his side. In the glow from my phone I vaguely made out a bald head and dark skin. He seemed to have some kind of body armour strapped on that covered his chest with plating and wrapped around his back to a smooth curved backpack behind him. As he lifted his head towards the light and blinked I saw he wore a bandana with holes cut out for his eyes which were large and brown as they blinked at me slowly, groggily. Without saying anything he struggled to sit up then grunted with pain. I could see darker spots on his camo painted skin which suggested bruising and there was a gash high on his left shoulder, dried blood running down his arm to his wrist. Cautiously I shifted where I stood and immediately his bound hands came up protectively in front of his body to ward me off. I frowned as I realised he only seemed to have three fingers on each of his huge hands. Another bang from somewhere in the warehouse made us both jump.

"It's ok, I'm not here to hurt you or anything" I broke the silence between us awkwardly "I'm just here looking for my brother." I turned the phone so the light shone on myself and he could see me. "My name's Scarlett." I said simply before placing the phone on the ground face up. Its light bounced off the ceiling and refracted around the cell dimly creating enough light for me to still make him out in the darkness. Next to it I placed my board so my hands were free.

For a moment we just studied each other in silence then he spoke in a raspy voice. "Could you…could you untie me?" he asked, holding out his bound hands towards me again. I hesitated for a moment, that could be a really bad idea. I looked towards the door again then back at him, for a moment I considered leaving him where he was. He sure didn't look harmless, even bound hand and foot. I ran my eyes over him as I debated untying him. Even sitting down I could tell he was a pretty tall guy, I would probably only come up to his chin. His arms which were still held out towards me rippled with the kind of muscle you got from actual hard work, not just lifting weights, and he had pretty broad shoulders. I really shouldn't risk it, just leave now and keep looking for Hayden. As the thought crossed my mind I dismissed it immediately. This gang my brother had us hanging with were bad news which meant if I left the camo guy here it probably wouldn't end well for him.

I brought my gaze back up to his face and met his brown eyes again, damnit he just looked so...helpless. Like he already figured I wasn't going to help. "Ok, just don't go spac on me once you're free alright?" I took a step towards him. "I have nothing to do with the guys who run this place…mostly." I waited until he nodded before crouching down in front of him warily. "What's you name anyway?" I asked as I grabbed his wrists. There was another silence as I began working on the first knot "Donatello." He said finally. I nodded and kept working at his restraints.

As the last binding gave way and I unwound the rope my fingers kept brushing against his skin. I noticed that his arms felt roughly textured and I wondered if he was wearing some kind of camo skin rather than camo paint. Whatever it was it was designed perfectly for blending into the darkness and had a decidedly green cast to it. Finally his hands were free and he rolled his wrists with slight groans to get feeling back.

"I assume you wanna get out of here too?" I took a step back, picked up my phone again and tucked my board back under my arm. I made sure I aimed the light from my phone at his armoured chest rather than his face but even so I made out his small nod before he tried to get to his feet and immediately staggered forward. I leapt towards him without thinking and propped him up by sliding my arms under his and pushing against him. My ear rested on his chest and I could hear his heart hammering wildly. So much for being worried the guy would attack me, he could barely stand. He was surprisingly lean despite being so muscled, but even so I couldn't get my hands very far around the pack on his back. "Jeez Donatello, what are you carrying in that bag?" I grunted as he shifted and I took more of his weight, assuming whatever he had in his backpack was making him unsteady.

"Drugged me." He muttered against my hair. His arms drifted up my back before gripping my shoulders. I turned and managed to prop him up under one of his shoulders with his green arm flopping down along my shoulder then over my chest. This guy had long limbs.

"Bunch of assholes." I muttered angrily.

"Mmmmm." He agreed and together we made our way to the door of the cell.

"I have no idea what to do from here." I admitted as I juggled my board clumsily so I could get a grip on the latch and pull. The door opened silently and I could once again hear the sounds of fighting, closer now and more distinct. I could have sworn I heard someone yell something like "Booya!" followed by a loud crash.

I led Donatello forward a few steps until we were in the middle of the hall, left or right? "Mikey…..my brothers are coming…." Donatello sounded like he was fading again and I knew if he passed out I would have to leave him right here. "Hey!" I hissed "Stay awake! I'll get you to your brothers and you can go with them." I figured whatever 'brotherhood' this guy belonged to could handle getting out of here on their own. With the gear Donatello was wearing he seemed like an army SEAL or something. Although what the heck they would want with this den of petty thugs I had no clue. Maybe this place was much more than Hayden had led me to believe? Ok, scratch that. I'm not stupid. I _knew_ this place is more than just a small street gang. Once I'd gotten past the front rooms it certainly became easier to believe that this was some kind of organised crime set up. Man this was turning into a weird night!

The ruckus going on nearby was coming to a close, there was one last cut off scream then silence. I sincerely hoped that his army buddies were on the winning team. As this thought made its way through my mind the lights in the corridor flickered to life and I was squinting against the brightness after ten minutes of near total darkness. As I blinked and my eyes adjusted a few things happened at once. I turned my head to get a better look at Donatello and my mouth dropped open in confusion as I took in the profile of the guy I was propping up. Instead of looking at an ear, the side of his head was smooth where his dark purple bandana wrapped around to the back of his skull. His head was completely bald and instead of a nose he had a less pronounced ridge. The result was his whole head had a fairly round shape altogether. My heart started pounding hard in my chest and throat but before I could process anything else more shouts rose up from behind us. I cast a wide eyed look back over my shoulder to see that a bunch of guys with weapons were moving fast along the hallway towards us.

"Shit!" I swore, immediately turning my attention back to the situation and propelling us forward in an effort to get away. Looking forward again I was just in time to see more figures round the corner ahead of us. This time just three, also carrying weapons...was that a sword?... and moving in an organised formation. We were trapped.

"Donny!" one of them cried and I immediately grunted in relief, this must be the rest of his unit. As they came closer I saw that they too had skin tight camo suits, armoured chest plates and back packs strapped on. Like Donatello they also wore bandanas but each was a different colour.

"Leo!" Donatello shouted back hoarsely then all hell broke loose. Donatello was shoved roughly from my arms from behind and I fell with him in a tangle. A roar sounded from above me as a blur of green flew overhead followed by screams of pain and thuds of fists hitting flesh. I became separated from Donatello as one of his buddies helped him to his feet and I was left to stagger up by myself amidst the fighting. I cringed and ducked a flying fist, lunging for the relative safety of the wall. As I went something crashed into my back and abruptly the wall was lunging for me before everything went black…


	3. Introductions

_Hi everyone, here is the next installment. Hope you like it! I tried to make Scarletts reaction to meeting the turtles as believable as possible...hard when she is meeting mutants!_

_Also thank you to Crystal Violeta for your review. I have worked hard on this fan fiction, it's been a work in progress for over six months and I still am preoccupied with ideas for small parts of the plot. Hopefully you enjoyed it despite it not being Leo based :)_

* * *

"We gotta go!" Raphael shouted to Michelangelo and Leonardo as he propped Donatello up with one arm and let a ninja star fly with the other. A Purple Dragon goon fell to the floor, Mikey nimbly jumped over the body without missing a step. "I hear that!"

"Turtles, retreat!" Leo commanded as he ran through the last Dragon and sheathed his katanas on the back of his shell.

"That's what I just said fearless!" Raph growled. "Why you gotta…"

"Hey…" Donny tugged at Raphs arm to stop him.

"What?" his brother stopped mid rant and raised a brow ridge.

"Can't leave her…" The other three turtles looked over to the girl crumpled against the wall amidst the other fallen bodies.

"Oh no, no way Donny that's a real bad idea." Raph shook his head and turned to go again.

"Can't leave her," Donny repeated stubbornly, "She tried to get me out."

"And now we are getting you out." Raph tugged at his brother again.

"Mikey please!" Donny begged the youngest turtle knowing his heart to be the softest.

"No problems Don." Mikey stepped back over the unconscious Purple Dragons and bent to scoop up the girl, holding her against his chest gently.

"Jesus, Mikey!" Raph shouted in exasperation.

"She comes Raph," Leo stepped in and calmly faced his brother down. "If Donny says she helped him then we can't leave her here for the Purple Dragons to get a hold of."

"Unbelievable!" Raph spat. Giving up he pulled Donny with him as they made their way back to where they'd broken into the building. This was such a bad idea…

* * *

Fragrant steam rose from the delicate cup and twisted towards the ceiling. Splinter sighed deeply, inhaling it before looking over the rim at his sons. Three of them stood in various locations around the room while the fourth was propped up on a stool, leaning heavily on the kitchen bench while his wounds were tended to. "It is a relief to have you home my son." He looked at Donatello who smiled weakly at him. "I hope in the short time you were a captive of the Purple Dragons you were not mistreated too badly?"

"No sensei, most of my injuries were sustained in the fight before they took me." He rolled his injured shoulder as Leo finished wrapping it then accepted a cup of coffee from Mikey gratefully. "I think they were so shocked at capturing one of us they didn't know what to do once they had me. They didn't even get a chance to interrogate me, they just shoved me in one of their cells, drugged me and left me there, I think they were waiting for Shredder or Karai to show up but they never got the chance."

"Those punks are lucky I didn't get my hands on more of them." Raph scowled from his spot leaning against the bench.

"I think they got the message Raph." Leo sighed and rubbed at his temple. "Some of them won't be walking for a while...or ever again. The question is what are we going to do about the one Donny made us bring home?"

"Yes, I am most curious as to why we have yet another unconscious person on our couch. Since trips to the surface began it seems we cannot go more than a few months without one of you binging home another body." Splinter looked at Leo questioningly with an eyebrow raised. The turtle's leader held two hands up in submission.

"Don't look at me Master Splinter. Donnie insisted and we didn't exactly have time to sit around and argue with him." Raph let out an annoyed snort at this which Leo ignored. "It was easier at the time to just bring her and ask questions later."

Four pairs of eyes fixed on Donatello who straightened on his seat nervously. "I'm sorry Sensei, I know how you feel about bringing anyone back to our lair." He gulped at the hard look his father levelled at him and rushed to continue. "Her name is Scarlett, she broke into my cell looking for her brother. Because she stayed to help me get out she missed her chance to find him, if we'd left her there I was worried the Purple Dragons would take her prisoner too."

Master Splinter was quiet for a moment, he stroked his beard thoughtfully before responding. "You did the right thing Donatello, it would have been wrong of you to leave her there after she aided you."

"That didn't mean we had to bring her back to the lair!" Raph growled and was immediately rounded on by Leonardo. "What were we supposed to do Raph? Prop her up in the nearest ally and let her make her own way from there? She's just a kid, she barely looks fifteen! Besides," he crossed his arms over his plastron with an air of finality "We owe her a debt."

"We don't owe her nothin," Raph's hand slashed at the air angrily "we were already right there to rescue Don and we didn't need any help."

"Well we got it anyway Raph." Donatello's voice was soft and tired. "Let's at least talk to her before we send her on her way ok? There might be something we can do for her."

"Fine." Raph bit the word out then stabbed a finger at Donny. "But Purple Dragon girl is out of here as soon as she wakes up."

Mikey looked at his brother startled "You think she's a Purple Dragon?"

"Why else would she be wandering around one of their clubhouses looking for her brother?"

"I think it is time you found out," Master Splinter's ears twitched and he glanced towards the pit area "your guest is awakening. I will be in my room if you need me."

"Hai Sensei." His sons bowed respectfully and waited until their father left the kitchen before moving to follow.

"Time to escort our unwanted guest back outside." Raph muttered as he cracked his neck.

* * *

"Holy crap." I groaned then immediately regretted it. My head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. Gingerly I brought a hand up to feel my temple and winced as my fingers brushed against a huge lump on my forehead under my bangs. I tried to open my eyes to see if there was blood on my fingertips but immediately squeezed them shut again as the light in the room sent daggers into my brain. What the hell had happened? My whole body tensed as previous events came back to me. The last thing I remember was the wall rushing towards my face as I was trying to help that guy, Donatello? His pals had come and were fighting those other guys…shit where was I? Had I ended up in one of those cells I found Donatello in? With another groan I started to rise from the hard surface I was lying on. I half rolled to my side and wedged an arm under myself to begin slowly levering myself up.

"Steady," a voice spoke from just behind me "you probably have…"

In fright at the unexpected voice I forgot about my sore head, launched myself upright and snapped my eyes open. Immediately a strong wave of dizziness rolled over me, my vision doubled sickeningly and my stomach heaved. I tried to hold it back but only managed to lean forward so I didn't barf on myself as I emptied the contents of my stomach on the floor beside my feet.

"…a concussion."

"Eeewwww!" another voice shrieked and I muffled a sob as I clutched my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees.

"There is no way I am touching that!" said a gruff voice. There was the sound of shuffling feet then I felt the air move as someone sat down next to me on the opposite side of the mess on the floor. "Just go get her an icepack," this time exasperation coloured the voice of the person beside me "a glass of water and two tylenol". A hand gently rested on my shoulder and I flinched away. "Take it easy Scarlett, we aren't going to hurt you. You took a pretty bad blow to the head. Do you remember what happened?" The voice was starting to sound familiar. It was calm and soothing and it knew my name. I allowed myself to relax slightly. I wanted to get up and move, find out where I was, but I couldn't even bring myself to open my eyes again let alone leave the bench I was sitting on.

"I was looking for my brother." My voice was hoarse so I paused to clear it. "I found a guy in a cell instead and as I was trying to help him his buddies turned up, a fight broke out and I got caught in the crossfire."

"And what was your brother doing in a Purple Dragon hideout?" the gruff voice from earlier was back. "A what?" I groaned yet again as gentle hands brushed my hair back and pressed a cool compress to my forehead. It took up the top half of my face, covering it in blessed, dark coldness. I sat upright slowly and clutched it to the lump on my head as I leaned back on the hard surface behind me.

"Purple Dragons kid, the gang you and your brother are messed up with? You were in their hideout!" the gruff voice was getting louder with irritation.

"Jeez Raph, take it down a notch would ya?" a voice laden with wry humour spoke up. "After this are you gonna go to the nursing home to yell at little old ladies? Maybe visit the pound to kick some puppies?"

"Shut up Mikey." Came the snarled reply.

"Both of you shut up if you don't mind," the exasperation was back in the guy's voice. "She obviously has a bad concussion; she won't be up to the third degree right now."

"Donatello," a new voice, calm and steady "when will she be ready to move? I don't think it's a good idea for her to be here too long."

"I'd say give her the rest of the day to recouperate then we can take her back up to the surface tonight after…"

"Wait," I let go of the icepack with one hand and grasped towards the voice on my left which I was pretty sure belonged to the guy from last night. My hand fell on what I thought was his forearm and he broke off mid-sentence. "I remember your voice now, Donatello?"

"That's me."

"And where am I exactly?"

The room stilled at my question. I had the strong feeling that there was a silent yet heated discussion going on over my head. I started to lift the ice pack from my face so I could try looking around again but let out a startled "ah shit" as it was quickly pushed back to obscure my vision. I gave up easily and let go of Donatello's arm to hold the pack with two hands again, my head still hurt too much to argue.

"It's complicated, we can't tell you much." Donatello began slowly.

"We can't tell her anything!" the angry voice spoke up again.

"Can it Raph."

"Yeah, can it Raph." I echoed. I was starting to get sick of this guy's attitude. "Like I'm a threat with my head half bashed in. Would you just relax already? You're making me wanna puke again." There was short peal of laughter which cut off in a squeak by a threatening growl. "Besides," I continued as I adjusted the pack more comfortably over the lump on my head "I already figured you guys were part of an elite squad or something."

"Elite squad?" the calm voice rose questioningly.

"Yeah, like a SWAT team or something. You've got those green camouflage suits on with the armour plating." There was a surprised sound from behind me and I smirked as I continued "When I got into the back rooms I could tell that the place was more than just a hangout for street kids, they've got storage rooms full of guns and amo, makes sense the authorities would be all over it if they knew about it. As soon as I saw Donatello's get up I worked out why he was there, don't have to be a genius."

"Wow, you've really got us all figured out." Raph's voice was no longer angry but had a hard mocking edge to it. I was pretty sure he was laughing at me. I frowned and started to pull the ice pack away again. Again Donatello stopped me and this time I let out a frustrated growl.

"Just hang on a sec." He urged. "It needs another minute."

"Dude, she thinks we are a SWAT team. That is so awesome!" the voice belonging to Mikey stage whispered. This time Raph laughed, loaded with dark humour. "Yeah, well we are pretty bad ass." He acknowledged.

"What's so funny?" I demanded hotly as I struggled against Donatello's hold. I was starting to panic as I realised they didn't want me to look at them. "Who are you guys? Where am I?" My voice was rising and I winced at the hysterical note that was creeping in.

"Look, just calm down a sec and let me explain ok? We aren't part of a SWAT team…"

"We are elite girl, you got that right! Yeah son!" There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh in what I guessed to be a high five which automatically made me want to roll my eyes.

"…we are a team though. Last night my brothers were coming to rescue me from the gang who run that club house, the Purple Dragons. They had managed to ambush us a few hours earlier while we were out on a training run . I got injured then captured." Embarrassment coloured his voice as he admitted this. "You stumbled across me just in time to get caught up in the fight. We brought you here because we didn't want to run the risk that you would be hurt further by the Purple Dragons. Raph here thinks you are a Purple Dragon, or your brother is at least."

"Ok, let me get this straight." I quit trying to take the icepack from my head and relaxed as I thought. "Donatello, Raph, Mikey and mystery guy…"

"Leo."

"…Leo are some kind of team…

"Ninja's."

"Ninja's?" Ok, so that's odd. "Alright...a ninja team who gets into fights with another gang called the Purple Dragons. I get injured in one of these fights at their hideout and now I'm in _your_ hideout?"

"Yeah that about covers it." Mikey agreed happily.

"So why aren't I allowed to look at you?" I demand.

"We will let you look at us," Donatello hurried to assure me. "just don't, you know, scream." He added lamely as he finally let me remove the cold pack from my face. "Man this was so much less weird with April." He muttered under his breath.

"Why would I scream?" I mumbled confused and a little frightened as light reached my eyes. Everything was still very blurry and I squinted painfully despite the low level of illumination in the room. I brought a hand to my head, under my fringe the lump had gone down slightly and wasn't as painful as my fingers brushed over it tentatively. The headache still gripped me and I made sure I moved slowly as I turned my head towards Donatello who was the closest. I blinked a few times to bring him into focus and straight away saw the same green face as the night before. Brown eyes watched me steadily yet warily from behind the same dark purple bandana. Once again I was struck by the odd shape of his face under his camo paint. He had no visible ears and where his nose should be was a blunt snout with two tiny holes instead. He was completely bald, no hair, eyebrows or eyelashes. My breath started to stick in my throat as the light in the room illuminated his skin, that didn't look like paint. It looked like his actual skin, he even had a very light dusting of freckles across his green snout…

My eyes travelled down his body and the next thing I noticed was his chest plate, it was dull yellow and ridged, marked here and there with scuffs. It looked like it was fused tightly to his front and covered him from just under his collarbones all the way around his sides. Over his shoulders peeked the curved edge of his backpack, why would he still have that on? As I looked closer I saw it was also ridged and chipped appearing much more like the edge of a...shell. Remembering something from last night my eyes shot back down to where his hands lay in his lap and without asking I grabbed one of them. Straight away I felt the same textured pebbled surface as last night and as I rubbed my thumb across the back of his hand it felt leathery and warm. Instead of five fingers he only had three but each of them were as thick as three of mine together.

I dropped his hand as though it had burned me and sucked in a deep breath as my eyes shot back to his.

"Don't scream, please!" Donatello held up his green hands in a calming gesture and the yell lodged thickly in my throat unvoiced.

For a few moments we were frozen that way as we stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Woah, tense."

I'd forgotten about the other three. Slowly I swivelled my head and took them in. Just beyond Donatello's right shoulder stood another of the creatures with a blue bandana, his eyes were locked on me with an intent look as he tracked my movements. Leo? Further around to the right, with arms crossed over his chest and the scowl on his face enhanced by a red bandana was who I guessed to be Raph and next to him a shorter one with an orange bandana and half grin who must be Mikey.

In a rush I let out the breath I'd been holding so I could suck in another one. Spots danced in front of my eyes and I swayed. "Hey, it's ok." Donatello grabbed my shoulder to steady me. "Here," he shoved a glass of water at me. "Take these." Two tylenol lay on his green palm and I stared at them dumbly. He waited patiently until I finally took the pills and the water then swallowed the medicine. Some water stuck in my throat and I coughed painfully.

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought." I said to no one vaguely. The glass began to slip from my hand and Donatello snagged it before it could drop. I started to shiver, suddenly feeling cold all over. "Who are you guys? What's going on?" I asked through chattering teeth.

"Ah jeez, now she's going into shock." Raph sounded disgusted.

"I think she's doing really well," Mikey sounded impressed. "April screamed in Donny's face when he tried to rescue her from the Krang."

"Give her a break Raph." Leo wrapped a blanket around my shoulders then hunkered down in front of me so he was at my eye level. "We won't hurt you ok? We're the good guys. We're just also happen to be mutated turtles."

"And ninja's." Mikey chipped in as he struck a pose. Immediately Raph shoved him with his shoulder. "You already told her that genius." Raph grumbled at him. "Well it's important." Mikey replied haughtily and tried to shove Raph back unsuccessfully.

I looked into Leo's blue eyes and let out a half hysterical laugh. "This is crazy." My voice was almost pleading. He smiled back at me reassuringly and reached out to squeeze my hands. His voice was warm and tinted with wryness "You don't know the half of it."


	4. Get Out

_Oops, a bit late on putting this one up. I just got back from a trip with the family to Sydney so I'm running behind. Also I'm not completely happy with this chapter, parts of it don't feel right but I decided to just get it out rather than agonise over it any more._

_A huge thank you to Tootsie7655 for your lovely review it really made my day! In terms of Scarlett developing a relationship with one of the turtles I do have a long term plan but it's a slow build. And as for Scarlett getting mutated you will just have to wait and see, very interesting that you suggested that though *wink wink*. I've already got the first 11 chapters written so I'm just polishing them up before I post them. Also I would love to go check out your story :)_

_Please forgive any mistakes!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT world only Scarlett_

* * *

"Mutant ninja turtles."

"For the tenth time yes!"

I pulled the blanket more firmly around me and glared at Raph, glad to have something else to focus on rather than shock at the unbelievable. "Jeez I'm so sorry Mr Optical Illusion," I spat "is my spiral into crazy town bothering you?"

"Our dad is also a giant rat." Mikey offered helpfully. At this new information I looked away from Raph with wide eyes and nodded dumbly at the orange banded turtle, of course their dad was a giant rat.

"But how?" I asked, struggling to make sense of it all. "Are you guys aliens?"

"Well no, actually we started as regular turtles. Sixteen years ago we were exposed to a substance known as mutagen and we mutated into bipedal turtles." Donny paused thoughtfully and raised one giant finger in the air. "Although the mutagen does come from an alien race known as the Krang, so technically there is an alien element to it all." Donny's voice had taken on a lecturing tone. I got the impression he liked explaining things. "We don't know much more than that yet, we are still pretty new to all this too."

"Wait, the Krang?" My jaw dropped as I looked at Mikey. "So aliens are real too?"

"Yep, squishy pink brains with tentacles that talk funny." Mikey spoke up again, making a face as he held his hands out as if he was holding a basketball to indicate the size of the Krang. "They wear robot human suits so they look like regular people though. If regular people all looked exactly the same."

"Robot suits," I echoed "aliens that talk funny and bipedal turtles. This is a bit much to take in…" I trailed off.

"Let's give her some space guys. I think we've given her enough to deal with for one day." Leo held a hand out to me and shot me a smile. "How is your head feeling? Want to try standing up?"

"That's a bad idea Leo." Donatello shook his head at his brother then peered into my eyes. "Her pupils are equally dilated which is a good sign. She seems to be recovering quickly," He observed with a worried air. "but I really don't think she should be moving around yet. Head injuries take a few days to recover from." He turned and picked up the ice pack again. "Here, put this back on." I took it and pressed it back to my head gratefully. "Mikey turn the tv on, volume low. She needs to just sit still and rest if she is leaving tonight so no messing around ok?"

"Fine, fine." Mikey said grumpily.

* * *

I was impressed by Mikey's dexterity with a controller despite only having three fingers. He could even shove snacks into his face without breaking momentum. The two of us had gotten bored of watching tv after about an hour and had switched to video games. We'd already worked our way through Street Fighter IV and mucked around a bit in Super Smash Bro's and were now embroiled in the first map of Super Mario Brothers. My icepack lay abandoned on the bench beside me so I had both hands free to play. The mutant turtle had graciously offered to let me be Mario considering my status as guest.

The main area of the lair was empty apart from the two of us, at first Leo and Donny had hung around and watched, probably to make sure I didn't try anything, but then eventually Mikey and I had been left on our own his older brothers found better things to do. Before he'd left Donny had gone into maid mode and I'd watched guiltily as he quickly cleaned up the small amount of puke I'd deposited on the concrete floor earlier. The guy had a fresh bandage on his upper arm for heaven's sake! He wouldn't let me get up to help so I consoled myself with the fact that at least I hadn't eaten anything for ages so there wasn't much there.

Before stalking off Raph had growled out a warning about not letting my butt leave the bench or he'd kick it for me. I'd rolled my eyes silently at the threat but in all honesty I didn't want to test him too much. I'd gotten used to the tough guy act at an early age, I got it heaps from boys I'd hung out with and had quickly learned to tell the pretenders from the contenders. Raph was definitely a contender and I wouldn't want to get any further onto his bad side than I already was just for existing.

I hadn't seen any sign of the giant rat Mikey had mentioned. Not such a bad thing...

As we played video games I kept up a steady stream of questions which Mikey answered readily. I was still half convinced I was dreaming or tripping out on some weird drug someone had spiked my food with and couldn't help sneaking looks at him from the side of my eye constantly. It was all just so weird. I was sitting a few feet away from a giant turtle playing video games with him like it was nothing. He had to have felt my gaze boring into him because every now and then he'd shoot me a friendly smile which made his wide mouth stretch across his cheeks.

"We aren't exactly sure how old each of us are," chip crumbs sprayed out of his mouth as he answered my latest question and I flinched to avoid the line of fire. "At first Sensei thought we were all the same age because we were mutated at the same time but Donny figured out that there must be a few years between us based on the growth rings on our scutes."

"Let me guess, Leo is the oldest?" I shifted in my seat as I mashed the buttons on my own controller a bit more frantically. Mikey laughed, "Yeah he totally has the vibe doesn't he?" I nodded as I thought of Hayden and his pain in the butt I-am-in-the-oldest-so-do-what-I-say attitude. "He and Raph are around the same age which is about twenty this year. Donny thinks they might have come from the same clutch but I dunno, they're pretty different if you ask me."

"What about you and Donny?" I asked. I was figuring Mikey to be about my age and the baby of the family, the way the others bossed him around combined with his general goofiness had 'youngest' written all over it. He didn't answer for a second as he threw a few more chips in his mouth and chewed noisily. "Uh, I guess Donny is eighteen this year which would make me seventeen. We don't really celebrate our birthdays though because we don't know when they are, we just have one big celebration on our mutation day. We had our fifteenth one this year."

"And you guys have been living here since you mutated?"

Mikey nodded, tongue sticking from the corner of his mouth as he dodged the fire balls being launched across the screen. "Yeah, Splinter brought us here after he found us, it was a bit rough when we were little kids but now it's a pretty sweet set up. Donny is the brainiac of the family. He totally had us hooked up with hot water and electricity in here by the time he was ten. Before that it was pretty basic, got super cold in winter." He gave a theatrical shudder then began mashing buttons frantically "No no no no….ahhhhhhhh!" he howled as Luigi dropped into the lava and died with his ass on fire. "This controller is faulty." He pouted at me sulkily. I shook my head at him in amusement. So far I really liked the guy, we'd only been hanging out for a couple of hours but he seemed genuine and didn't try to act tough or snobby. He talked pretty much non stop. His voice would randomly go high pitched and drawn out when he wanted to sound cool and other times he would drop into a sulk and the bottom lip would come out. Pouts didn't seem to last long before he was back to hyper again and when he was trying to sound super serious he would half close his eyes and nod sagely, usually with one hand making a sweeping motion as he spoke. The dude was animated that's for sure.

"You do realise you can go into a bubble and be safe right? It's like side kick 101 knowledge. Float on over to me and I'll protect you." I mocked him in a sing song voice similar to the one he used as Mario flipped over to cling to the flag pole and end the level.

"Never," Mikey scoffed "a ninja is self-sufficient at all times."

"Yeah I can see how well that works out for you," I laughed at him "I hope you don't come across lava too often when you're out fighting aliens and ninja's." I smirked as he stuck his tongue out at me then we grinned at each other. I placed the controller beside me and swivelled around to do a scan of the enormous room. "I think you guys are pretty lucky, I know a lot of kids who'd love to live here."

"Like I said, brother D knows how to hook a turtle up." He stood and stretched lazily. "You want a tour?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." I said.

A worried look flashed across his face. "Aw, is your head still sore?"

"No actually, it's feeling heaps better." I rubbed my forehead and tentatively rolled my neck. Most of the headache had disappeared and I was just left with a slight throbbing behind my eyes. "It's just that Raph was…"

"Pffftt!" Mikey blew a loud raspberry. "Just ignore _that_ big sour puss."

"Well yeah but then Donny said…"

"C'mon girl," he grabbed my arm and hauled me off the couch "let me show you around a bit. We don't get too many visitors down here beside April." My head spun crazily for a moment as I was unceremoniously forced to my feet. "Ooops, sorry." Mikey held my arm while I blinked and regained my senses.

"Who is she?" I asked curiously, referring to April. I wondered how many others knew about these guys. Judging by Raph's reaction to my presence in their lair not many.

"Just a friend of ours." Mikey waved his hand dismissively "We rescued her from the Krang a while back. Hey, check this out." I trailed behind the youngest turtle as he enthusiastically showed me around his home. I wasn't lying when I told him he had a sweet set up. From what I could see the brothers had pretty much everything they could want. There was the huge pit I had been confined to until now which had a massive tv, DVD's, consoles and games to go with them. Off to one side was another sunken pit, this one filled with water with a tyre swing hanging over the middle of it. There was a row of arcade games and a pinball machine, a punching bag and even a small half pipe. Yep, totally reminded me of the teen hangouts I'd been following Hayden around.

Mikey was just heading towards a huge metal sliding door and rattling off something about a lab when a growl from my stomach stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at me with a worried air. "Scarlett, when was the last time you ate?"

"Five minutes ago." I replied, I could feel my cheeks flushing.

"Nuh uh, crisps don't count. I mean real food." He planted a fist on one hip and eyed me critically. I shrugged and he immediately slung a green, muscled arm around my shoulders to steer me around. "C'mon, forget Donny's lab. You need sustenance stat!" he crowed close to my ear making me wince.

Before long he had me sitting at a large kitchen bench on a stool watching his back as he rifled through the contents of their fridge. His shell was so big all I could see from behind was the top of his bald green head and his legs but despite this he moved fluidly. Propping my chin on my hand I took the opportunity to stare at him. Wrapping around his shell at waist level was a brown belt with leather pockets on each hip which held what looked like short wooden sticks. He had white wrappings on his hands, dark brown wrappings on his feet and wrists then dark brown pads on his knees and elbows. The only splash of colour was his dark orange bandana. I made a 'humph' of surprise as I noticed he only had two large toes on each foot then ran my eyes back up to his shell before squinting and leaning closer, were those swirls of yellow mixed in with the shades of olive?

I was lost in thoughtful study of the patterns on his shell when he turned and raised an eyebrow at me. "So I guess you don't eat algae and worms huh?" My face froze halfway between amused and confused, I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. What did giant turtles eat? He let out a bark of laughter at my expression. "Relax Scar, we have human food. How about some pizza?" My stomach rumbled again loudly. "That was a yes." He flipped a box of pizza onto the bench and motioned for me to dig in. As I grabbed a slice he leant back against the opposite counter and shoved his own piece into his mouth. "So what about you then?" he swallowed and wiped his mouth. "What's your story?"

I stalled for time by taking another bite of cold pizza. I wasn't sure how much to say and honestly no one had really asked me before so I didn't have an answer ready. Mikey seemed pretty cool and so far hadn't freaked about my association with the Purple Dragons like Raph had. I frowned as I chewed.

"It's ok you know, I'm an awesome listener." Mikey nodded sagely. "Consider this a place of safety, nothing you say here will leave this room." He placed a hand over his front and adopted a very serious look before pulling up a stool and fixing me with expectant blue eyes. My lips twitched "My life isn't that interesting, honestly Mikey." I paused then corrected myself "Not until last night anyway." Somehow his eyes got even wider and started to shimmer in the light. "Wow, killer puppy dog eyes." I said impressed.

"Thanks, I've been practicing." He scooped up another slice. "Now talk!"

"Ok, ok. My name is Scarlett and it's been three years since my last confession." Mikey just rolled his eyes and flapped a hand at me in a 'hurry up' gesture. I grinned but then sobered as I tried to think of what to say, my fingers picked nervously at the crust of my pizza and I took a deep breath. "I'm fifteen years old. My brother Hayden is nineteen. We've been living on the streets since my mum kicked Hayden out. I went with him because I couldn't stand being at home anymore." I paused again to take a few more bites. Taking a quick look at the turtle from beneath my bangs I decided to be honest. "I've been following Hayden around from place to place ever since then. Neither of us went back to school and we did what we had to to get what we needed, which usually meant stealing. At night we would crash at one of his friends places or find a group to hang out with for protection. Hayden leaves me on my own for days at a time then when he comes back he drags me to the next place. We get by ok. Sometimes we get cold and hungry but it's been better than home."

Part of me was horrified at how candid I was being with the giant turtle. The guy was way too easy to talk to. I looked up from my plate as Mikey handed me a glass of milk, his face serious but kind. "Thanks, anyway we'd been with this last group, the Purple Dragons, for a few weeks. Hayden had met a new friend who'd introduced him to a guy called Xever and straight away he took off again, I hadn't seen him for ages until last night. He's joined gangs for a while in the past but I think this time it's more serious, I think they are training him up. He's started wearing all black like them and I'm pretty sure he is doing jobs for them. He's been leaving me with the younger kids and not telling me what he's doing, there was food and stuff to do so I didn't complain too much at first. Then last night I tried to talk to him and he brushed me off, told me to stop bugging him all the time. I tried to find him again by following him into the back rooms but found Donny instead. The rest you know."

"I told you guys."

Mikey and I jumped as an angry voice echoed around the kitchen. I looked guiltily towards the doorway as Raph stalked through.

"Jeez Raph, how long have you been there eavesdropping?" Mikey sounded annoyed as he jumped up and stood between me and his older brother.

"Long enough Mikey, get out of my way, I'm escorting our guest out right now." Raph shoved Mikey aside, grabbed hold of my upper arm then started dragging me out of the room.

"Hey that hurts!" I twisted and tried to pry his huge fingers from my arm. My sore head had started spinning again as I was forced to my feet and I staggered as I lost my sense of balance.

"Raph? What are you doing?" Donny's voice was horrified as he came through the large metal sliding door and watched Raph dragged me across the main room. "Don't be so rough with her!"

"Stop Raph." Leo appeared on his other side and gripped his shoulder. Raph let me go abruptly and I promptly fell on my butt, glaring at him angrily from the floor. "What is wrong with you?"

"Her!" Raph cut him off with a slash of his hand, turning and advancing on his older brother. "Like I keep saying, we don't know her. We don't know for sure where she comes from or who she associates with. All we know is that Donny thinks she cut him loose in that cell but let's face it, he was so out of it he can't be sure of what happened." He stabbed a finger into Leo's plastron. "Now because she has a sad story about her shitty life and wants to play video games with Mikey she must be ok? Give me a break! She was hanging out in the Purple Dragon's recruitment club house Leo, she's probably one of them, her brother is for sure! He's been personally recruited by Xever! She needs to go, like yesterday!"

Silence rang out in the lair as everyone absorbed the red banded turtle's words. I climbed to my feet carefully then brushed off the butt of my jeans. "Scarlett!" Mikey bounced anxiously on his toes as he watched me cross to their couch and scoop up my backpack.

"It's cool Mickey," I forced a smile as I turned to face him. "I need to go anyway, besides finding Hayden I also left my board back at the clubhouse and I want to go get it before some other dweeb takes off with it."

"And she skates too?" Mikey stage whispered as he turned to look at Donny while clasping his hands to his chest.

"Not anymore if I don't rescue my board. It's one of a kind, hand painted with Powell Paralta wheels. Pretty hard to replace." I used a band from my wrist to scrape my hair back into a ponytail, shaking my fringe out to partially conceal my eyes, then glanced around to see if I'd forgotten anything.

Finally I had to meet Mikey's disappointed eyes as I awkwardly swung one arm and bumped my fist against my thigh. "So…..you'll need to blindfold me won't you?" My eyes flicked up to where Raph and Leo stood, both with hard looks on their faces. I nodded to Leo "So I can't find my way back to your lair?" My eyes flicked to Raph's green ones then slid away from the satisfaction I saw there. I gritted my teeth angrily.

After a moment Donatello stepped up beside me and held out a large yellow bandana. I looked from it to his face and saw a mixture of pity and embarrassment there that curdled my stomach. "Be careful of your head ok?" He said softly.

I snatched the bandana from his hand and nodded stiffly. "Thanks for the video games and the food. I gotta go sort this mess out and get my brother away from the Purple Dragons." He returned my nod and watched as I tied the bandana over my eyes tightly. I meekly stood and waited for the brothers to be satisfied I couldn't see, sensing rather than seeing Leo's hand wave in front of my eyes but making sure I didn't twitch in case he mistook it for me being able to see. I assumed he was happy at my lack of sight when I felt his large fingers encircle my upper arm and tug me forwards. I kept a firm hold on my bag straps and steeled myself to be led through the sewers.

"Bye Scarlett!" I heard Mikey call from behind me and I half turned to shoot a smile in that direction.

"Catch you later." I said simply before responding to Leo's warning of "step" and lifted my foot to start the climb up the subway steps.

"Nice going Raph."

"Shut up!"


	5. Clubbing

_Thank you BubbleEwa for your awesome reviews! Turns out it's true what they say, getting positive feedback really does make you want to write more! I think I got the majority of another two chapters written over the last week :) In answer to some of your comments/questions_

_Sorry about grammatical errors, they just happen with me and I do my best to catch them._

_Cliffhangers are cool ;)_

_Scarlett has to leave because I need to build her character some more. Don't worry, she'll be back somewhere down the line._

_The story takes place a couple of episodes into season one then skips along to partway into season two. I manipulate things along the way to suit myself tho__ugh :)_

_And lastly I've decided to update roughly every weekend. It's really tempting for me to do it more often because, as I've said before, I have a lot of chapters ready to go, but I'm worried if I go crazy posting them I will hit a writers block and interrupt the flow of my story. Doing it this way gives me thinking time. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm though, please don't stop with that 3_

_Phew! Now on to the next chapter. Disclaimer: I own nothing besides Scarlett!_

* * *

The further we got from the turtles lair the more obvious it was where they lived as my nose picked up on the stench of the sewers. Pretty soon it was so strong I started trying to breathe through my mouth, forcing myself not to think about whether I could then taste the fumes. I figured we were leaving the tunnels belonging to the train system and entered the ones servicing the cities waste. We mostly travelled in silence apart from the occasional "heads," or "step down" from Leo. As we walked…and walked… then walked some more, I thought about my game plan. I literally had nowhere else to go but back to the club house to look for Hayden. There was Bec, Hayden's ex girlfriend, but I had no idea where she lived now and besides, after the way Hayden had broken up with her I wasn't sure if she would want to see me. I guess from here all I could do was head back to the Purple Dragon lair, hope that Hayden was around, then try to convince him to leave before something _really_ bad happened.

I thought about the way Raph had reacted to Xever's name, Mikey had looked pretty worried too. Obviously the dude was an even badder guy than I'd thought so I probably couldn't blame the turtles for being suspicious of anyone who was associated with him. I still winced as I replayed Raph's rant in my head, the guy was harsh but every word rang true, they _couldn't_ trust me...they _didn't_ know me... and even though I didn't know them either and I usually couldn't give a flying fuck what other people thought of me, I didn't want them assuming I was part of the Purple Dragons too. I was a lot of things but I wasn't a gang member...at least I'd never thought of myself as one.

"You ok?" Leonardo's voice was not unkind as he broke my chain of thought by pulling me to a stop and loosening the bandana so I could slip it from my eyes. I had a feeling he knew exactly what I'd been thinking about. The guy could be a little intimidating, like he could read thoughts or something. I blinked a few times and nodded, looking around under the pretence of figuring out where we were so I didn't have to answer his question in any more detail.

"I figured you'd want me to take you to where it all started since you need to go back for your board and all." He pointed upward to the manhole above our heads then deftly skimmed up the service ladder and shoved aside the cover before disappearing through it. After one last look around I followed him and within seconds I was standing next to him in the ally. It was still light out thanks to my early departure from the turtles lair but the abandoned nature of the neighbourhood and narrowness of the ally had us standing in relative seclusion. The blue clad turtle seemed happy enough to stop for a moment despite being partially exposed. Across the street was the warehouse, quiet at this time of day, and it was hard for me to believe everything that had happened in the wee hours of the morning. It all looked so…normal to me.

"Uh, thanks for everything Leonardo." I threw the turtle a lopsided smile as I fiddled with the straps on my pack uncomfortably. I really felt like I should say more, maybe even figure out when I would see them again, but the hard truth was I almost certainly wouldn't. Besides the whole secret mutant and hidden lair thing the turtles had going on, there was also the fact that people in my life didn't tend to last long, even my own brother was usually MIA. For some reason though it felt wrong to just say goodbye and have that be it. I couldn't imagine walking around the rest of my life knowing there were giant turtles in the sewers but never seeing them again.

I settled for saying "I hope things are ok back at the lair, I really didn't mean to cause you guys any trouble and I promise I won't say anything about you to anyone." I clamped my mouth shut as Leo continued to look at me sombrely, his eyes assessing me in a way that made me feel like I was loosing layers of protection.

"Just find your brother and leave as soon as you can, lay low for a while. The guys you are hanging with are dangerous." He said seriously. I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder and said "Yeah, ok."

Abruptly a smile spread across his face and I found myself grinning back a little bemusedly as he clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Farewell." Then he was gone and the cover slid back into place leaving me standing alone facing the building where so much crap had gone down last night.

* * *

"You know you can be a real tool sometimes Raph." Mikey's voice was uncharacteristically dark as he stood in the dojo's doorway with crossed arms. It might be hazardous to his health but he couldn't stop himself from pursuing his big brother to push the issue despite the risk of a pounding.

Raph sighed but otherwise didn't pause from polishing the weapons hanging from the rack on the wall. It was his turn to clean the massive room which wasn't doing anything positive for his temper. "Jeez Mikey give it a rest." he grumbled "You didn't even know the girl."

"I'm good at reading people." Mikey insisted, frowning even harder at Raph as he laughed outright.

"Yeah ok, just like Bradford? What a great friend he turned out to be."

Stung, Mikey took a few steps into the room with fists clenched. "She needed our help and you chased her away."

Raph finally put down his polishing cloth and faced his youngest brother. The hurt look on Mikey's face made him sigh again and he tried to soften his voice. "Look man, I'm just trying to watch your back. All our backs. Humans aren't good guys and none of you seem to get that. You all jump in without thinking about the consequences."

"April is a good guy." Mikey insisted stiffly.

"She's an exception, trust me." Raph moved forward until he could place a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "Don't worry about Scarlett ok? She made it this far without us, I'm sure she'll be just fine."

Mikey's shoulders slumped as he nodded. "I guess, I just have a bad feeling..."

* * *

I stayed in the ally for a while and just watched the front of the building, chewing my lip nervously. There was so sign of life from the street which was pretty normal considering usually the warehouse didn't come to life until darkness fell. My mind was spinning with questions. What was going on in there? Had I been spotted helping the turtles? Was it safe in there for me? Was Hayden even in there? Hell, the whole club may have been relocated seeing as it had been compromised.

By the time I gathered my courage to move towards the main entry twilight had fallen and the sky was glowing orange. I placed a cautious hand on the push bar and gently leaned on it until the opening was large enough for me to slip through. I stood on the other side of the door for a moment and let my eyes adjust to the dark. Some amber light filtered in through the small high windows that were scattered around at the top of the warehouse walls and it was just enough to make out the interior of the club house. Laid out before me was a jumbled mess of rubbish, scattered workout gear, a few overturned arcade games and random bits of clothing and abandoned belongings.

Everyone was gone.

As quietly as I could I picked my way through the mess until I stood on the ground level. The place was so quiet I could almost hear the sound of my heartbeat echoing off the high ceiling. The whole thing suddenly felt like a scene from Walking Dead, any minute I was going to hear raspy groaning behind me. At the thought goosebumps erupted up my arms in a wave. _Cut it out Scarlett_ I chastised myself, but I couldn't help shuddering and glancing nervously over my shoulder. Shaking myself sternly I continued walking until I was once again standing at the door that lead through to the back rooms where I had found Donatello last night. It was hanging ajar and I didn't need to touch it at all to pass through the doorway. My sneakers squeaked softly as I made my way back down the hallway once again using my phone as a light. The store rooms on either side of the corridor were all gaping open to show empty shelves where last night there had been stocks of guns, ammo and food. It was pretty obvious they had been cleaned out in a hurry, when I paused to shine the dim blue light of my phone into a few I could see all that was left was the odd dented can or empty box.

Before long I came to the same t-intersection I'd struggled at last time. This time was no different. Should I go right again and find my way back to the cell Donny had been in so I could find my board? Or go left to where I now figured the Purple Dragons main rooms were?

_Beep beep!_

The sound of my phone giving its low battery warning had me jumping about a foot in the air with a muffled scream. Heart pounding I turned it to face me and saw that I only had about 5% power left. Just fantastic, I estimated I had about ten minutes tops before I would be plunged into total darkness. Grimacing I decided to forget about my board and find Hayden. I won't lie though, thinking about my poor baby lying all alone in the dark hurt. Taking a deep breath I moved off again.

A few moments later I was in a whole new section of the warehouse. Instead of store rooms and cells I was creeping through what seemed like a smaller, more grown up clubhouse, confirming my suspicion I had been hanging out in the kiddy section this whole time. There were lounges, a few pool tables and even a kitchen. This must be where the guys were taken if they were picked out of the crowd in the main area and deemed worthy to join the Purple Dragons. I imagined Hayden here yucking it up with his new pals while I sat out at the junior table worrying about his stupid ass. Jerk.

This area too looked like it had been cleared out in a hurry, there was crap everywhere. I was just bending down to pick up a dropped pack of cigarettes when a door at the rear of the room was pushed open and a pair of voices drifted through followed by heavy footsteps. Instinctively I scrambled as quietly as I could behind one of the old couches and smothered the light from my phone in my hand.

"Those wretched turtles will pay for this." I recognised Xever's voice straight away, it was furious and I broke out in a cold sweat at the promise of violence that edged it. There was the sound of something metallic being kicked across the room and the hard beam from a torch swept above my head. I ducked reflexively and held my breath. This was bad. Really bad. "It took me months to set up this base and they destroyed it in one night. When I get my hands on them..."

"Quit your complaining and start thinking about how you are going to explain this to Master Shredder. He will be most displeased that you had one of them in your grasp then let him escape so easily." The second voice was deep and rough, tinged with a malicious pleasure at Xever's anger.

"Do not try to tell me that you have fared any better Bradford, neither of us has managed to hold onto those pesky turtles." Their voices grew even louder and they continued into the room. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed they would walk straight past my hiding place. "Now, if you are finished gloating, I just need your help to retrieve..."

_Beep beep_

My entire body flushed with cold dread as my phone betrayed my presence, for a moment the room held it's breath and I could almost feel Xever and Bradford's hot eyes narrowing in on my position behind the couch. Then a rush of adrenalin had feeling coming back into my limbs. In a flurry of movement I was up and running, shoes skidding on the loose debris underfoot as I dashed through the room. Blindly scrambling around furniture and knocking over chairs I bolted for the doorway back the way I'd come. Behind me the two men barely made a sound as they pursued me and that was so much worse than the shouts I'd expected. Only the occasional grunt or heavy footfall told me how close they were behind me. And they were close. The traitorous phone in my hand was throwing out barely enough light to make out shapes as they rushed towards me in the darkness, my arms swung as I ran which made it even harder to see as the light bounced around. Miraculously I made it to the long stretch of hallway and put on a burst of speed. The light slap of feet behind me was even closer and in my growing panic I failed to completely avoid a door which had been thrown open earlier and was now jutting into the corridor. My left shoulder bounced off it painfully and I yelped as I staggered then nearly fell. Instantly a hard hand gripped my backpack and I was yanked around to slam into a wall for the second time in two nights.

"And what do we have here?" Xever's voice had my knees turning to jelly as the light from his torch shone directly in my eyes.

"Get fucked!" I hissed as I dropped my body weight and threw my arms up at the same time so I could slip out of the arms of my backpack. Surprisingly it worked, I landed hard on my ass with an 'oof' of surprise before gathering myself. I kicked out as hard as I could, hoping to catch one of them in the ankles, then started scrambling away again. I maybe got a foot or two before a huge hand fisted in my t-shirt and dragged me to my feet again. The torch was back in my eyes blinding me.

"It's just a girl, a mere child." The guy called Bradford spat in disgust "What are you doing here?" he demanded roughly. I tried to scowl defiantly and struggled against his hard grip, swinging a wild punch, but all I got for my troubles was a sore wrist and a strong shake which made my teeth clack together.

"Not just any girl, I know this one." Xever's voice had turned thoughtful. "She is the sister of a recent recruit by the name of Hayden Duane. I recognise her face."

The torch lowered slightly so it was pointed at my chest and as the glare lessened I could make out the faces of the two men towering over me. The guy beside Xever was huge and bearded, in a crazy moment I thought he looked a lot like Chuck Norris. I nearly giggled but then shrank back when I noticed the cold smile on Xever's face. His teeth flashed white in the darkness as he turned and smirked at Bradford. "I think I have a use for this girl. Master Shredder is always after volunteers for his new project and who could be better than another of our own? Bring her with us!"

As I was hauled away from the wall I struggled against the hand twisted in my shirt and shouted "No! Let me go right now asshole!" then gasped as I was dragged roughly, my feet scrabbling uselessly along the floor. Bradford lifted me a little so that my face was closer to his and smiled mockingly. "Now what kind of people would we be if we left behind one of the family?" The two men laughed nastily and I continued to fight as they took me away, shouting obscenities the whole time.


	6. Strange Changes

_Ok so it's a bit early to be posting seeing as it's only Friday night but I have been working on different chapters of this story for most of the day so thought I better just put this one up already. I wrote this chapter _months_ ago and I remember it just flying out of my fingertips at the time. My apologies for any errors, I've re-read and tweaked it so many times now it's all just a blur lol._

_BubbleEwa thanks again for your reviews, I love hearing from you and you always make me laugh! Hope you like what happens :)_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing :(_

* * *

"So now we just need to prep you." The guy in the lab coat said in a clinically cheery voice as he held up a syringe full of amber liquid. My eyes widened then flickered around the small white room I was trapped in but there was nothing and no one to help me. I was all alone in here with this freakshow. I pulled violently at the clamps that held my wrists to the bed but achieved nothing besides chafing my skin some more. Ignoring my struggles the man swabbed my upper arm with some kind of disinfectant then began lowering the needle.

After I'd been captured at the clubhouse Xever and Bradford had thrown me into the back of their car. Sitting there miserably, unable to see thanks to the blacked out windows, I had alternated between flinging insults at the two men and kicking at the backs of their seats. Stubbornly ignoring their increasingly angry warnings to cut it out. Eventually I made Xever laugh with a crack about the Bradford's stupid beard which earned me a hard backhand to the mouth from the latter. It came with a snarled promise that if I didn't shut up next time he'd take my head clean off. After spitting out blood I resorted to glaring at the back of my captors heads and wishing cancer upon them.

When we had finally pulled to a stop I'd immediately tried to fight my way free but Bradford had just slapped me again and dragged me from the car. He had shaken me roughly and warned me to stand still 'or else'. I reluctantly settled down, looking around with a glower to see that we had arrived in front of a huge white tower. Craning my neck I saw that its top, dozens of stories up, ended in a point. TGRI was spelled out in massive letters towards the peak. I immediately recognised this building as one that took prominent place in the New York city sky line but I'd never come anywhere near this close to it before. What the hell was going on? How were the Purple Dragons associated with TGRI, a science researchy type place?

I was pulled from my confused thoughts as Xever took over and pushed me forward roughly. He twisted my arm up hard behind my back until I'd cried out and stopped fighting. When we reached the huge glass doors at the front of the building he had promptly handed me over to a bunch of guys dressed in lab coats with a muttered "Thank God". I'd sworn and struggled against this new set of captors too as they marched me into the building but that had done me no good either.

A pinch on my bicep brought me back to the present "What...what are you doing?" I gasped and writhed futilely as the scientist looking guy began to press the needle into my skin. "STOP!" I bellowed, bucking my whole body and managing to throw him off. The needle slipped back out of my arm as the guy in the lab coat took a half step back. He let out a _tsk_ of annoyance and grabbed my upper arm in a painful grip. "Hold still. You don't want to go in there without this shot, trust me."

"Why don't you shove it up your...ow!" With the casual confidence of a long term clinician he pressed the needle to my arm again and pressed down the plunger. I felt the cold liquid enter my blood stream and shortly after my head started to float above my shoulders as I melted bonelessly onto the table I'd been strapped to. I barely registered that my bonds were being removed until I was being lifted to my feet. I giggled as my knees buckled briefly then pouted as I was roughly jerked upright again. Docilely I allowed the scientist to lead me from the room, my feet didn't seem to touch the floor as I walked along and I smiled down at them bemused before looking up dreamily at what was going on around me.

I had joined a crowd of people in lab coats and their wards who were all dressed in white like me and wearing dopey expressions on their faces. I caught the eye of the guy next to me who was being led by a tall woman and waved stupidly at him. He smiled and waved back.

Suddenly I blinked and looked around confused. Without me noticing the hallway had opened up into a large open area. We'd stopped before a long row of circular platforms, there were about ten of them and hovering above each was a huge glass cylinder. The line progressed forward and when it came to my turn I found myself being manouvered until I was standing shivering slightly on my very own platform. The cylinder above whirred and lowered over me. I frowned through the fog in my brain, this was bad wasn't it? There was an ominous thud followed by a hiss as the cylinder sealed and I watched in mounting horror as my scientist guy made a note on his clipboard. The buzz from the drug he had given me was mixing with a wave of fear. I wrapped my arms protectively over my chest, teeth chattering audibly and eyes wide. The scientist in charge of me reached out to casually press a few buttons on the control panel for the cylinder, making a few new marks on his clipboard as he went. Unsteadily I staggered forward and beat my hands on the glass feebly. "No, no, no, no." I slurred under my breath, scrabbling at the smooth surface with my nails and feeling like I was moving in slow motion.

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzttt_

A series of harsh buzzes echoed around the large space, then there was a mechanical grating noise as the metal ceiling above spiralled open to reveal the end of a large nozzle pointed straight at me. Before I could move, before I could do anything other than stare in horror, a thick green goop was falling toward me. It shimmered and glowed on its way down with an inner light that was creepily beautiful. Then it touched my skin and I was no longer capable of coherent thought, I was just a pure embodiment of fright and adrenalin which burnt away the numbing effects of the drug they'd given me with brutal efficiency.

It hurt. Oh God, it hurt so bad. My whole body burned and stung viciously as I collapsed to the floor, I opened my mouth to scream but began to choke instead as it poured into my mouth, poured and burned and suffocated me. Clawing and fumbling I finally broke free of the main deluge and gasped for air past ripping vocal chords. "Haaaaaaa!" A low rolling groan of agony was forced from my throat, the tenor of my voice harsh and unfamiliar in my own ears, sounding more like a growl and much lower, darker as my throat contorted. I curled onto my side and continued to pant and groan helplessly as I felt my skin, bones, organs, my very cells rippling in agony.

The goop no longer fell on me, what wasn't stuck to my skin was being channelled away through a grate in the floor. Bringing a shaking hand to my face I watched in horror as my fingers twitched, widened, lengthened and became tipped with wicked black claws. My palm thickened and expanded, dark spots appearing which rapidly formed into pads under the black nails. Black hair spotted with dark brown rosettes sprouted from my skin and just like that it was no longer a hand but a paw. I opened my mouth to scream, clasping my arm to my chest reflexively, but once again the sound that emerged from my throat was alien to me. This time it was a hissing growl that echoed off the glass chamber.

Distantly I was aware of other screams, inhuman and frighteningly intense. A detached part of me thought of the other kids in the tubes and what they were going through right now. Then my mind ripped back to my own struggle as alien sensations now rippled along my spine. I struggled to get my hands and feet underneath me but found it impossible to get upright. My legs, they just felt wrong. Burning and wrenching. I could hear the popping noises as they reformed. My arms too were shifting, no longer belonging to a human body.

I sank back to my side and let the tremors flow over me, gasping hitching and mewling in pain until finally, finally the agony began to subside a little until it was more bearable. Rising up to join it from somewhere deep within my chest came a pulsing rage. Fuelled by the pain it swelled until I thought my rib cage would burst. I welcomed it, drawing it up and around me like a cloak until it gave me the strength I needed to attempt to stand once more. This time I found my feet easily and as I rightened on all four paws I gave voice to the anger with everything I had.

* * *

"How many of the specimens survived the initial procedure?"

"Of the ten initial volunteers five are still alive, slightly more successful than my estimate of a 30% success rate."

"And which animal blends have proven successful?"

"The polar bear, leopard, grey rhino, lion and gorilla have all yielded excellent results Master Shredder. I am confident the next phase of the experiment will result in little to no loss of life. The remaining subjects are extremely strong and are responding well to our initial testing. This batch of mutagen from the Krang is proving much more successful than the last."

"I am extremely pleased Baxter Stockman, continue with the treatment and notify me immediately when you have completed the procedure."

"Yes Master."

"Karai."

"Yes father?"

"Go with him. I shall be leaving on a business trip to Japan soon and I want you to oversee the mutants training in my absence."

"Yes father."

* * *

I paced. A long unbroken growl rumbled deep in my throat as my eyes remained fixed on the man in the lab coat on the other side of the glass. Up and down, up and down, my head swivelled fluidly to keep him in my sight. I could smell his fear even through the glass, could hear it, taste it, almost see it in red waves pouring off him. I felt a savage satisfaction when he looked up from his clipboard to glance at me then quickly look away, beads of sweat trickling down his neck.

My eyes tracked past the man in the lab coat and my satisfaction drained away as my gaze met that of the girl standing a few paces behind the scientist. A smirk twisted her lips as she flicked her eyes lazily over me. She stood with a wide, proud stance. One hand on her cocked hip and the other swinging lazily along her thigh past the hilt of some kind of sheathed blade that was hanging on her other side. Her eyes were a piercing green framed in thick eye makeup, black hair in a short crop with the tips dyed pink. This girl didn't smell like she was fearful, she smelled like fear itself. I felt my lips peeling back in a snarl. Her eyes narrowed warningly, I bristled in response, tail swishing in agitation. I hated the barrier before me as it kept me from slashing, tearing and tasting blood. Her blood. His blood.

My pacing continued even as the girl in black broke off her gaze and approached the 'lab man', speaking quietly into his ear. He sagged in relief and reached for the control panel again. This time when he met my gaze he was the one smirking and I let out another roar of rage, bashing myself against the glass in fury until the rolling fog from above dulled my senses and sent me drifting into the abyss…

* * *

"Hello?" I blinked sweat out of my eyes and tried to control my breathing. "Hello, anybody?" My eyes rolled frantically, ears straining for any hint of life around me. I tried again to lift my head from the table where a hole had been cut out under my face which gave my a clear view of the white tiled floor but nothing else. Again I was halted by the strap across the back of my skull. My hands clenched uselessly where they were similarly shackled beside my head. I felt like I had been here for…hours? Days? I'd lost all sense of time passing, had no idea how long it had been since I had been taken by Xever and Bradford. If I ever saw those two again I would kill them for bringing me here to be treated like an animal. Animal.

Hysterical laughter spilled from my mouth and I suddenly found myself gasping and giggling crazily. Holy shitballs, what had happened to my life? My biggest problem two weeks ago had been where I was going to sleep and where my next meal was coming from. Since then I'd lost my brother, discovered the existence of mutants, lost all my stuff, been captured by the Purple Dragons and had now apparently been turned into a mutant myself. Or had that last part been a crazy drugged up dream? I remember the fear, followed by pain then the intense anger, but maybe I had never even left this table and I was just going crazy. Tears leaked from my eyes and dripped on the floor. The giggles turned to sobs and I bit my cheek hard in an attempt to calm down.

The sound of the door abruptly opening caused me to renew the struggles against my binds. It was a welcome relief to feel the confusion receed and the anger return again, a familiar and much more useful emotion. "What's going on?" I demanded roughly. Footsteps rounded the table I lay on and the sound of metal clanking told me a tray had probably been laid down nearby. "Hey!" I growled in frustration. "Will you fucking _answer_ me already?"

Little clinks reached my ears followed by the unmistakable sound of a fingernail rapping smartly against plastic, another injection was headed my way apparently. "Relax," a male voice finally addressed me "this one is the key. Without it you're nothing." I barely had time to squeak before a sharp sting in my rear let me know I'd been jabbed with yet another needle containing an unknown substance. I swore vehemently, spitting out every vile work I'd ever learned. A low chuckle was my only answer. A rough hand grabbed my hair and moved it to one side, baring my neck.

"And now, you belong to us."

Another sharp sting, this time on the back of my neck. I gasped as the cool, crackling sensation spread down my spine and up into the base of my skull. A trembling began in my muscles and slowly intensified until my whole body was convulsing on the table as much as my bonds would allow. Fireworks were being set off in my brain obscuring my vision and leaving no room to think. The terrifying contortions lasted a few moments before fading away again and I was left gasping as a fuzzy blue haze settled over my vision.

"What…?" I could feel myself slipping away from my body and retreating into the darkness…


	7. Ninja Noodles

_Hey_ _guys, this is my first_ _attempt at using part of an existing TMNT episode to suit my own story. This is from 'Never Say Xever' Season 1 episode 8. I have a terrible memory so actually had to have the episode on play/pause to make sure I got all the main parts I wanted lol._

_Tootsie_7655 _Thanks_ _for your review! I see your point about TCRI vs TGRI. I kept typing TGRI because I was thinking of the 90's movie but I should go with TCRI considering the Krang are there so it's cosmic not global. I will fix that up._

_Hey BubbleEwa, good to hear from you again :) Hope this chapter answers a few of your questions!_

_I also wanted to warn everyone that school is back this week. I will do my best to update every weekend so hopefully I don't fall behind but I no longer have much free time to write and the next chapter I'm starting from scratch because I decided a little more was needed._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

It was late in the evening, the darkened street deserted. A lone girl in a yellow t-shirt made her way slowly along the footpath, seemingly unaware of the four figures tracking her every movement from above. Halfway down the block April finally stopped and groaned in frustration. She cocked a hip as she turned, placing a fist on it and addressing the empty street with a sigh. "You guys wanna speed it up a little?!"

"Are you saying turtles are slow?" Donny said from behind her. She jumped, startled, to find the purple banded turtle squinting at her from behind the empty ticket booth of the darkened cinema.

"That's a hurtful stereotype." Mikey pouted from her right. Raph met her gaze steadily from over his younger brothers shoulder.

Leo spoke up from behind causing her to turn yet again to keep track of the ninja brothers. "Trust us April, we are better off keeping a _low_ _profile_." He grimaced at her and glanced around nervously. "We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist."

April smiled ruefully. "Sorry, I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewers for a change."

"What are you talkin about?" Raph eyed her incredulously "We go out all the time!"

"But tonight you are going to do something besides hitting people" April said in a wry tone.

Raph's shoulders drooped at her words. "Naawww!"

"Don't worry, you're gonna love the noodle place I found." She grinned at all of them with excitement and motioned across the street to the shop in question, the only one with it's lights still on despite the late hour.

"You're sure we'll be welcome?" Donny nervously drummed his fingers on the booth beside him, eyes flickering between her and the expanse of street between them and their target destination.

April smiled warmly at him in reassurance. "Oh yeah, Mr Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact he won't even _know_ what you look like." She grinned at their confused faces. "He's blind!"

"Awesome!...Ugh!" Mikey winced as Raph dropped a hard fist into the top of his head. "I mean...for us, obviously." He offered a sheepish grin as his grumpy brother shook his head.

"C'mon." April turned to cross the street, the turtles close behind her. As they drew nearer to the noodle shop April gasped in dismay. Silhouettes were moving in it's front windows. "Oh no!" All of them could clearly make out one figure lifting a stool above its head before launching it across the room. In another window two figures were shoving a third, smaller one between them roughly while a fourth stood just by the door. Immediately April and the turtles leapt forward. They sprinted across the road to crouch by the doorway of the shop and watch.

"It's _those_ creeps!" Donny seethed and tightened his grip on his bo.

"Purple Dragons," April peeped around the corner and scowled in disgust as she saw two thugs standing on the shops counter kicking and smashing things "they think they own the streets around here."

"So much for not hitting people tonight." Leo sighed. He looked to the others resignedly.

Raph's face stretched in a huge smile "Oh well!" he grinned with genuine delight.

* * *

Hayden slouched against the window with a bored expression as he watched his Purple Dragon brothers trash the shop. Tsoi and Fong busied themselves throwing furniture and smashing things while Sid stepped towards the old shop keeper who was cowering against the bench, a small man with circular dark glasses obscuring his eyes. Sid prodded the owner on the back with a thick finger then flinched when the old man turned and swung a chopping board towards Sid's face so quickly the lanky youth didn't get a chance to dodge and ended up copping a blow to the throat. Hayden smirked in amusement as the other's doubled over in laughter. Immediately Sid's face morphed from surprised to furious. With a glower he stepped forward again to deliver a vicious back hand to the old man's face before picking him up from the floor to throw him against a cupboard.

"Booyakasha!" A loud yell accompanied the crash of the shop door as it slammed open and hit the wall. Hayden jumped and whirled around, jaw dropping in shock as he took in the group that had just barged their way in. The rest of his gang froze too, faces turning to the doorway in surprise and for a moment the two groups just stared at each other. Turtles. In the doorway stood four green human sized turtles. Each wore a different coloured strip of cloth around their eyes and each brandished a different kind of weapon. Behind them, partially hidden by their large green bodies, was a girl with red hair.

"Alright, let him go." Hayden shifted his gaze to the one with the blue bandana, this one was obviously their leader. "You don't want any trouble." He said in a strong clear voice.

"We, on the other hand, do!" A shorter, stockier one added. Hayden took in the anticipation on the things face, this one liked to fight.

Sid, who had paused mid crouch as he leant down to grab the old guy again, turned wide eyes to Hayden, eyebrows raised high. "Woah, those guys were serious. There really are giant turtles!"

"You've heard of us?" One of the remaining turtles, the one with the orange bandana, went from serious to amazed in a split second. "Dudes! We're famous!" he exclaimed to the other turtles.

"That's bad!" The one in purple hissed.

"Oh, right." The smallest one visibly deflated.

Hayden ran his eyes back over the group, this time a little slower. Kids. These...things...were just a bunch of kids. He took in the confident way they gripped their weapons and revised that thought. They were well trained kids who had been causing his boss a heap of trouble, it would be better not to underestimate them.

"Well whatever you are this neighbourhood is ours, so why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from." Sid adopted a haughty air, waggling his fingers towards the group of mutants condescendingly. Hayden fought hard not to roll his eyes, anyone would think Xever had put that lanky idiot in charge tonight. In fact maybe that wasn't such a bad thing they thought Sid was the leader Hayden mused to himself as the one in blue narrowed his gaze on Sid dangerously.

The one leaning on the bo staff replied snootily in return "Actually we're fresh water turtles." Then paused and cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully as he gazed towards the ceiling. "I suspect that we are derived from the..."

Sid cut him off with a shout of, "Get em!" and Hayden clenched his fists in irritation, he was really going to have to take Sid down a peg.

The others had no problem following Sid's orders, with a growl Fong ran along the counter towards the turtle with the swords while brandishing his metal mallet. The mutant sidestepped easily then ducked as the smallest turtle leaped over his shell and kicked the huge Purple Dragon into the wall. Then he struck out again causing Fong to go tumbling sideways along the plasterboard. Hayden winced as the guy came to a stop with a resounding thud then shook his head and came forward again. This time the orange turtle was the one ducking the mallet's wild swings so the one in red could take over, smirking happily as he backhanded Fong in the face.

Hayden pressed back against the window as he watched all this play out. He'd been right about not underestimating these guys. It was true they were young but they had been trained exceedingly well. Watching them move around the kitchen was like watching a dance. Even now the tallest one with the bo and the smallest one were taking care of Tsoi who had stupidly gotten himself caught between them. The two turtles didn't even bother to draw their weapons, in fact it looked like they were having fun as they casually kicked then tripped Tsoi, bouncing him between them like a rag doll. The two mutants kept up the game of 'catch' even as the orange banded one became distracted by a steaming bowl of soup. Hayden gaped as the turtle continued to knock Tsoi around even as he raised a spoon to his mouth.

There was a slight lull in the fight, Hayden glanced down and saw that Fong had dropped his mallet when he'd fallen. Glancing up quickly and seeing that the turtle with the purple bandana had become distracted he carefully picked up the heavy weapon and made his way up behind the eating mutant. When he was directly behind the freaks shelled back he quietly raised the mallet high above his head. Before he could bring it down however something flew from nowhere and struck him a hard blow across the throat. He hit the floor a split second before a saucepan lid clanged down beside him. "Huh?" Through watering eyes Hayden saw the turtle glance down in surprise from above before looking back up and grinning at someone he couldn't see, throwing them a thumbs up and yelling "Thanks April!" Hayden let out a throaty cough as he tried to get up from the floor. Before he'd even sat up the freak kicked him in the ribs hard. "Stay down dude." Then he darted away.

Holding his ribs Hayden waited until the turtle's feet were far enough away that he could drag himself upright without copping another kick. Leaning heavily against the counter he coughed again and grimaced, that fucking hurt! He did another scan of the shop to see that things were rapidly going from bad to worse. The red headed girl was disappearing through the back door with the old shop owner in tow. The tall skinny turtle was skipping backwards away from Tsoi who was wielding a large axe. The mutant ducked left, right, then left again, avoiding three large over-swings with a smirk, then side kicked upward sharply to send Tsoi flying across the room.

Right in front of Hayden the blue banded turtle, their leader, was in the middle of the shop calmly stalking Sid as he retreated behind the counter. The Purple Dragon had a large meat cleaver in one hand and even as he swung it the mutant advanced, gliding past the blows effortlessly and delivering a two punch kick combo that had Sid landing dazed with his back against a wall. He blinked groggily as the mutant hefted him by his shirt then drew a fist back ready to land the killing blow. Hayden held his breath. It really wouldn't bother him if the turtle punched Sid's nose through the back of his head, but then that wouldn't bode well for the rest of them. Sid gazed up at the mutant fearfully and in that moment the freak hesitated. Dropping his fist from Sid's shirt and stepping back he motioned jerkily towards the door with his head and growled "Get out of here."

Hayden let out the breath he'd been holding. Sid smirked, regaining his confidence in the face of the mutants leniency. He strutted past the turtle confidently, knocking into his shoulder as he passed. "C'mon, let's go." He stalked past Fong and Tsoi, shoving at them to get them moving. At the doorway he briefly made eye contact with Hayden before he turned and shouted "This ain't over greeny!" before slamming his way out of the shop. Hayden paused a moment before following the others out.

* * *

"Greeny? Really?" Donny raised a hand to his head incredulously. "I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that?"

"You just let him go?" Raph turned to Leo angrily "What the heck was that?"

"They weren't exactly a threat." Leo kept his voice calm. "They'd had enough."

"Dude! They were beating up a blind guy, there is no enough!" Raph's voice thrummed with exasperation. "Now they think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job."

"Wow, that was great you guys!" April interrupted Raph as she reentered the room, leading Mr Murakami through the doorway at the rear of the shop with a hand on his elbow.

"Thanks April." Donny shot her a goofy smile. "Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him over the counter? Did it look cool?" He chuckled and sighed with a satisfied look. "I bet it looked cool."

"The coolest!" April pasted a wide smile on her face and looked down for a fraction of a second.

Donny sighed. "You didn't see it did ya?"

"No I did not." She said with an apologetic shrug.

"My friends, I am indebted to you." Mr Murakami placed a hand on his chest as he spoke sincerely. "Please, allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge."

The teenagers looked at each other and grinned happily...

* * *

"You fucking idiot." Hayden waited until they were a block away before grabbing Sid by the shirt and shoving him roughly up against a wall.

"What the hell is your problem man?" Sid scowled and tried to twist away.

Hayden kept his grip tight and brought his face right up to the smaller guys until he stopped fighting, quailing back at the fury on Hayden's face. "You are." He paused and let that sink in. "Xever put me in charge, not you."

"Yeah?" Sid regained some of his bravado. "Well I didn't see you stepping up in there."

"That's what makes you the idiot." Hayden glanced back over his shoulder to shoot Fong and Tsoi a withering look. "If any of you dickheads had stopped for a second to wait for my order maybe you wouldn't have had your asses handed to you." He looked back to Sid and narrowed his eyes. "Those freaks are the ones that invaded the clubhouse a month back, they are dangerous. It will take more than rushing at them blindly to take them down. Now you knuckleheads are injured to the point you can barely walk when we could have just left then come back later."

Sid's voice rose in a whine "They won't be there later!"

"No," Hayden explained with exaggerated patience "but that old shop owner will be. Xever will be able to use our information that the turtles care about this guy to his advantage won't he?" he waited while the other three's expressions slowly flickered to understanding. "Now you guys go back and let Xever know what happened. I have an errand to run." Hayden stepped back and let go of Sid's shirt.

The guy straightened his clothes petulantly. "Where are you going?"

"None of your fucking business." Hayden snapped. "Oh and Sid?" he waited until Sid met his eye then backhanded him heavily, knocking him to the ground. "If you step in on me again I will kick nine shades of shit outta you. Get it?" He stood over Sid and held the smaller man's gaze until he nodded tersely. "Good, now get lost." He watched the other Purple Dragon's while they disappeared up the street then turned back in the direction of the noodle shop.

* * *

"Hey!"

At once the four brothers halted and looked at each other incredulously. From behind them, echoing down the sewer tunnel, the hoarse cry came again.

"Hey!"

Splashing footfalls drew closer and Leonardo hesitated indecisively as the others looked to him expectantly. "Hide." He jumped up into the pipes that lined the tunnel's ceiling, his brothers following suit just as a boy came into view around a corner.

"Wait! I gotta ask you something!" he was gasping as he ran, one hand pressed to his side and the other trailing the sewer wall, his only concession to the dim light which made seeing difficult. He passed under where the turtles were hiding and made it a few more strides before his foot connected with a submerged bit of rubbish and he went tumbling.

"God DAMN it!" he cursed viciously as he picked himself up and punched the wall in frustration. "I know you can hear me you freaks! Where is she? Where's my sister?" He groaned and fell back to lean on the wall. He was obviously in pain as he held his ribs and hunched over them protectively.

Hanging above him the turtles glanced at each other in confusion. This was one of the Purple Dragons they had chased from Mr Murakami's shop about an hour earlier. What? Leo mouthed silently. Mikey shrugged with a 'beats me' expression. Raph's face hardened and he looked ready to jump down and finish the job they'd started at the noodle shop. Donny looked at the guy carefully and tapped a finger on his chin. Abruptly he looked up and mimed by pointing a finger at his own face, rotating his finger in a circular motion. Then he gestured back to the kid below them who was now leaning up against the wall and cursing.

The turtles once again looked at him, this time a bit closer. He was perhaps twenty years old, about Leo's age. Even in the dim light they could see he had dark brown hair and wide brown eyes. Something about the set of his nose, the curve of his chin, sparked recognition in Mikey and after a few beats he snapped his fingers as he made the connection. The other three looked at him, agitated by the noise he'd made. He waved his arms at them as he mouthed Scarlett's brother at them a few times.

"Who's there?" below them the Purple Dragon had straightened and was peering back the way he'd come. He shifted and brought a knife out of his boot, holding it defensively in front of him. "I just want to know where she is." His voice wavered and he cleared his throat, rubbing at it with a grimace before calling out again. "I just want to know what you've done with her."

"We don't have your sister." Leo dropped smoothly out of the shadows to land before him, barely making a splash in the rancid water. The guy started but then set his face in a scowl and glared the mutant down with a determined set of his jaw.

Leo held his hands out to show he meant no harm. "Hayden right?" the guy's eyebrows rose in surprise and he paused before nodding slowly. "We haven't seen your sister."

"Bullshit!" Hayden yelled and lunged forward a step, knife brandishing threateningly. "You were seen carrying her off and you know my name!"

"Take it easy dickhead." Raph growled from the darkness behind Hayden who whirled to face the new voice. A pained grunt echoed off the walls followed by the sound of skittering metal, then Hayden was holding the injured wrist of his now empty hand and grimacing. "I've had more than enough of you and your idiot gang. We don't have your damned sister and if you pull a knife on me or my brother again you're gonna end up lost too, you hear?"

Leo eyed the Purple Dragon thoughtfully. "We haven't seen Scarlett since that night at the Purple Dragon hideout Hayden." He kept his voice calm and steady. Hayden turned back to him and eyed him distrustfully. "We walked her back to your clubhouse the next day and that's the last we saw of her." Leo's face was serious as he kept eye contact with the human boy to show he was being truthful.

After a moment Hayden's shoulders dropped and he rubbed a hand over his face. "Xever gave the order to abandon that clubhouse barely an hour after you guys tore it apart. We were gone by sun up." He shook his wrist out gingery then placed a hand back over his aching side. "I can't find her anywhere. I've been looking for you guys for ages to get answers. I couldn't believe it when you just walked into that old guys shop." He looked up as two more soft splashes sounded and glared at Mikey and Donny. "Thanks for the cracked rib by the way." He snarled at the youngest brother.

"Don't look at me dude." Mikey shook his head. "I'm not the one beating on an old blind guy. You kinda deserved whatever you got man."

"You were certainly asking for it." Donny agreed dispassionately. "Lucky for you I like your sister or I might be tempted to even you up on the other side." He shifted his bo pointedly to the other hand.

"Well I have no reservations kicking your ass again," Raphael scowled and moved forward threateningly until Leo caught him by the shell. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? It's bad enough you join up with a violent gang like the Purple Dragons but then you gotta drag your kid sister along too? Hopefully she's left your sorry ass behind."

"Whatever freak, you don't know anything about me." Hayden scowled at Raph for a moment before visibly calming himself down and adding "I just want to know for sure. Did she say where she was going?"

The turtles shook their heads. "All she said is that she was going to look for you." Leo said. The brothers looked at each other for a moment before turning and moving away down the tunnel again.

The one with the orange bandana hesitated before following his brothers. "I hope she turns up safe dude." Then they were gone. Hayden strained his ears but could hear nothing of their departure. Growling in frustration he turned back the way he'd come to look for the exit.

* * *

"All clear." After a few moments of tense silence Leonardo stepped back from the corner where he'd been watching Scarlett's brother to make sure he didn't try to follow them. He turned and found himself face to face with an uncharacteristically worried looking Michelangelo. He placed a hand on his soft hearted brother's shoulder comfortingly. "It's ok Mikey."

"Jeez, I haven't thought about that chick since we kicked her out." Raph crossed his arms and leant against the brick wall.

"_You_ kicked her out." Mikey corrected.

"Whatever. Sounds like maybe the Purple Dragons didn't welcome her back with open arms after all." Raph kept up his usual disinterested tone. "Her brother didn't seem that worried about her though."

Mikey gave his elder brother a dirty look over his shoulder. "Nice to know you're getting in touch with those squishy feelings bro." Raph sighed heavily and rolled his eyes but refrained from saying anything more.

Donatello leaned on his staff thoughtfully, eyes narrowed. "I agree, he seemed more curious than worried. Hopefully that means she takes off often and is pretty good at looking after herself."

"No, that doesn't feel right. I'm worried Leo." Mikey's expression grew even graver. "We should look for her..."

"Where Mikey? Seriously, it's been months. She could be anywhere, who says she's even still in New York? She may have decided to ditch her brother and the Purple Dragon's for good. Make a fresh start." Leo sighed and shook his head. "I'm sure she's fine."

"Man I hope so, I liked her."

"Me too." Donny said simply as he re sheathed his bo. "But there's nothing we can do. We'll just have to wait and see if she turns up."

Sighing heavily Michelangelo once again followed his brothers as they headed home.


	8. Operation Breakout

_I have to say I loved writing this chapter last weekend. I've used another existing TMNT storyline (season 1 episode 24 Operation: Breakout) and warped it for my own purposes. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

_Tootsie7655 Your review was interesting, thanks! :) I am planning to fix up Raph and Scarlett's relationship eventually but it may give me writers block in the future lol. Hopefully he doesn't come off as too mean I just see him as very protective of his family. I never really thought of playing him and Mikey off each other, hmmm..._

_The award for longest review ever goes to BubbleEwa! ;) Sorry for confuddling you! Hayden is a complicated guy and pretty messed up by his childhood. Hopefully I can successfully cover more of this later down the track but in the mean time if you want to understand Hayden a bit better look up Attachment Disorders and maybe you'll get a feel for why he is how he is. And, no, he didn't know about Scarlett being mutated, weird right? This next chapter will let you know both where Scarlett has been and what she has been turned into. Poor Scarlett, I got the feels really bad writing this chapter especially at the end. But don't blame Raph for her current predicament, unlike his brothers he can't have squishy feelings for people he just met and _someone_ has to stop the other guys from filling up the lair with randoms. Thanks for the kind words *blush* plus the heads up on the Teen Titans episode, I will go check it out. Love your thoughts, keep em coming xo_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

Karai rolled her eyes impatiently and crossed her arms over her chest as Baxter Stockman stuttered and verbally flailed his way through another boring report on the progress of the mutants. She glanced sideways at her father, not bothering to hide a twisted smile when she saw he was barely containing his own irritation. The pink hologram through which her father held this meeting wavered occasionally adding to the general impression that the leader of the Foot Clan was quivering with anger.

"You have delayed for months." Shredder barked, cutting off the quivering scientist mid sentence. "I have already waited long enough for you to complete your initial testing. When will the mutants be ready for Karai to begin their training?"

"Please Master Shredder, you must understand!" Baxter wrung his hands and stared pleadingly up at Shredder where he appeared to stand on the raised dais. Karai sneered openly down at him from her position next to her father's image, from her vantage point the little man looked even more pitiful as he cowered at the bottom of the steps. She could easily imagine what he would look like on the screens in her father's office back in Japan. Pathetic. "Not only have they needed extensive medical checks there is also the issue that my mind control devices have been designed for humans, I've had to make some adjustments so that they remain functional during the shifting process." His eyes shifted to Karai and for a moment the girl could have sworn she saw malice swimming in their brown depths as he looked at her. He blinked and it was gone, "I would hate for your daughter to come to harm. For safety reasons I've had to have the mutants moved to a smaller Krang detention facility, they were far too strong for me to leave at TCRI. If you allow me just a few more days with them, a week at most, I can make sure they are completely controllable."

Shredder flexed his massive biceps as he leant forward threateningly. "One more week. If they are not ready by then I will deal with you when I return." Without another word he ended communication and the hologram winked out.

Karai huffed with a bored air as she watched Baxter shakily readjusted his glasses. "They better be ready." She called out flippantly, inspecting her nails. "If there's one thing my father hates more than the turtles and their rat father it's being defied." She looked up at him pointedly and let her face split into as evil a grin as she could muster. "We're kinda the same like that." She turned on her heel and strode away.

Behind her Baxter Stockman visibly wilted with relief. After a quick glance around to make sure he was alone he allowed a scowl to settle over his face. "Stupid spoiled brat." He muttered angrily. "I should just let your new pets rip you to pieces." He brightened at the thought. "Now that would be fun to watch!" His quiet giggle echoed around the huge empty space.

* * *

_Two days later..._

"Huh," Donatello squinted at his T-phone then looked across to the bare brick building below him "doesn't seem very Krangy." A leap from the top of the water tower took him to the fire escape. A short jump from there to the ground, followed by a quick scurry around the side of the building, had him standing in front of a beat up old roller door. He kneeled to examine the dead bolt securing it, his tongue poking from the corner of his mouth while he picked the lock. A small snik signalled his success, he cast a furtive look around to make sure he hadn't been spotted as the roller door opened on surprisingly well oiled tracks.

Donny entered the building then closed the roller door carefully, bo at the ready, and did a quick scan of the inside. Nothing but cars packed three levels high on mechanical stackers, all in various states of disrepair. Maybe this was just a mechanics garage and he'd made a mistake. Disappointment began to seep it's way in around the edges of his determination, he'd been so sure. The signal from Mr O'Neil's coded message had led to this exact spot. April would have been so happy...and appreciative...goose bumps were rising on his arms and a dopey grin was threatening to take over his face as he thought about the possibility of another hug when a metallic clang echoed from the back of the shop. Immediately his face hardened and he whirled around, creeping towards the sound.

_"It is one of the ones called the turtles."_ The Krang's robotic voice was completely expressionless. As he leapt away from the pink laser fire Donny marvelled at how hearing them talk could still give him the creeps.

A few quick spins of his staff and the Krang was a stuttering pile of metal on the floor. Donny slammed his hand against a large silver button on the control panel next to him, dropping a car neatly onto the robot and crushing it along with the pink alien brain controlling it. Donny's teeth glowed in the dim light as he grinned. "Looks like someone could use a tune up! Huh? Yeah? Right?" He spun his bo theatrically for his imaginary audience. This solo mission business was a piece of cake!

"Whose the hero now?" His not so imaginary audience applauded his efforts with more pink laser fire. Three more Krang advanced from the shadows, weapons blazing. "No response necessary!" Donny gulped as he ducked for cover.

* * *

The floor was cold. The stone walls were cold. The air was cold and the cell in general was gloomy. I knew all this, but it didn't really reach me where I was tucked away inside the leopards mind. It seemed as if there was a thick layer of foam between the environment and my nerve endings. Or maybe it was between my nerve endings and me. All I knew is that I couldn't feel that it was cold in this small room, but I could _feel_ that I could feel that it was cold. Does that make sense or am I finally going crazy? I have been locked away here for a pretty long time.

Right now my body was in it's animal form, had been for days and probably would be for a few more as I just sat here in this cell. I couldn't change form unless the scientists allowed it, commanded it really, seeing as they had to use their mind control thingy. They didn't do this very often which meant I'd been stuck as a giant cat for ages now. Shifting between human and animal caused problems apparently and the only times they made me do it was to check if they could maintain their control of me. In the beginning they hadn't been able to, I'd been able to break free, try to escape, even killed a few of them I think. But increasingly that had been changing. I was starting to worry that I was never going to get full control back ever again, that they would just keep pushing me further and further back into my own mind until I disappeared altogether. Just ceased to exist. No more Scarlett.

Oh I still had some say over my actions, like right now for instance while they weren't around I could influence what the leopard did. I could get her to pace the cell, make a bit of noise, but when they came and started issuing commands I had no choice but to follow. A lot of the time I didn't even know what they made me do, their mind control device pushed me so far back I lost the fragile thread between me and what passed for my consciousness. Then I would suddenly be aware again, looking though my own eyes from a distance and seeing that things had changed but not knowing exactly how much time had passed.

Every time I saw them coming, the human scientists or the creepy robots with brains in their chests, I just wanted to run screaming. But I couldn't. Yeah, I'm totally loosing my marbles.

* * *

Crouched on the metal beams which served as a ceiling Donny marvelled at how much space the Krang had managed to dig out from underneath the building above for their underground lair. The mechanics workshop was a front for yet another Krang base as the turtle had discovered after falling less than gracefully down a hidden shaft while trying to avoid Krang fire just twenty minutes earlier. Thank goodness the guys hadn't seen him do that, Raph might have been tempted to make up another stupid name for him like dorkordinated or craplumsy or something. Thankfully he'd managed to arrest his fall before he'd reached the bottom or the Krang would have had an annoying green turtle shaped smear to contest with. Frightening stuff.

He watched the two Krang Bots march past underneath him then silently dropped to the floor once they'd passed so he could continue down the hallway. Rounding yet another corner he ducked behind a pillar as one of the robots emerged from an automated door at the end of the corridor. He peeked from his hiding space, rather then coming down the hallway towards him the Krang was standing guard at the door. Frowning in frustration he thought for a moment, how to get the alien to come closer so he could disable it?

Inspiration struck. Reaching into his belt he withdrew his T-phone, pressed a few buttons then quickly slid it along the floor so that it came to a rest against the robotic foot of the Krang. It's head tilted, pink eyes stared unblinkingly down at the small shell shaped object, cocking it's head to the side in a parody of a thoughtful expression as the contraption blinked it's red lights and rang merrily. After a moment it bent to scoop up the phone, holding it up to it's face to look at the picture on the screen: a mutant turtle with a purple bandana and a wide smile. The mutant turtle with a purple bandana crouching behind the pillar took his opportunity to leap from his hiding place and swing at the Krang with his bo, a resounding crack was followed by a painful sounding crunch as the alien hit the wall and crumpled to the ground.

Donny stepped forward and snatched his ringing T-phone from the robot's grip. "It's for me." He smirked happily. The pink Krang brain operating the robot opened it's eyes at this and levered its self from the metallic casing with a shrill scream. Another swing of the bo and it too hit the wall with a squishy thud. "And that's for you." Donny's smirk grew even wider. He really had this solo mission thing down pat.

The now empty Krang robot was surprisingly light as he hefted it with one hand and pressed it's face to the scanner beside the door. It opened with a whoosh allowing the turtle to step through into what appeared to be a surveillance room. Lining the far wall of the small area was a bank of screens. Stepping closer he could see that each one showed the inside of what looked to be a cell. He started by scanning the ones to his right, most of them seemed to be empty and only a second passed before he spotted the person he'd come for. "Mr O'Neil!" April's father was slumped on the floor of his cell, knees drawn to his chest as he buried his face miserably in his arms.

In the centre of the room there was a waist high cone with a screen built into the top. Immediately he recognised it as a Krang computer. Tongue once again protruding from the corner of his mouth he began running his fingers over the black surface, squinting in concentration as pink symbols danced under his hands.

* * *

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzt_

The leopard looked up at the familiar sound and I felt a flash of fear as I saw through it's eyes that the door to our cell had opened and was now hanging slightly ajar. Both of us waited, watching silently, but nothing further happened. A crack of light fell through the gap and lay across the floor, I found myself focussing on it, waiting for it to get bigger. It didn't. Confusion washed through me and on the heels of that, hope. No evil scientists were coming to run more tests on me. Was this...was this part of a rescue effort? My mind spun as I remembered a night, long ago now, where a similar buzz had echoed down a hallway. That was the night I had met Donny. Had the turtles found out I was here and come to rescue me? The wave of excitement that rose in me was so strong I suddenly found my consciousness pushed to the fore and for the first time I felt like I was in complete control of my own body.

I didn't waste this opportunity and immediately willed myself to move, obediently my body rose to all four paws and padded to the door. A nudge of my muzzle and the door silently swung the rest of the way open. I hesitated, listening intently. For a moment I thought I heard the sound of something moving out there but when I listened harder nothing else reached my ears. Cautiously I slunk through the open door and out into the hallway. Hanging lights created circular pools of illumination down the corridor, I made sure to stay to the side of these as I slunk my way along. I passed the open doors of the other cells and a quick glance inside each showed that the other mutants were still within their cells, unmoving. I gave an involuntary shiver when at the third door I was met with the same dead-eyed expression as the first two. They looked like puppets waiting for their strings to be pulled, is that what I spent my time looking like? I moved on, expecting to see the polar bear in the final cell, but pulled up short as I saw it was empty. What the...?

Another soft sound, like material sliding over metal, drew my attention. With a solid thunk a dark shape dropped from the ceiling to land in front of me. For a moment elation shot through me, convinced that it was going to be one of the turtles. Then I got a good look at the thing that was drawing itself up to full height until it towered over me. I was a mutant too but, unlike me, it stood on it's hind legs more like one of the turtles. It was black, like oil slick black. Yellow and orange markings ran along it's belly to the underside of it's tail. It was a giant salamander, newt, lizard thing that I'd never seen before. How many freaks were there down here? It glowered at me with yellow eyes and I quailed back, the pure cold anger there was terrifying. I heard a low growling and realised from the vibration in my throat that it was coming from me. My lips were peeled back from my fangs and I'd dropped into a defensive crouch, ears laid flat against my skull. The mutant hissed in return, raising one massive claw tipped hand high over it's head ready to strike, but before it could the air was split by the bright pink flare of Krang laser fire.

Both of us started and turned towards it's source. Five Krang robots had stepped around the corner to block the end of the corridor. Immediately the lizard looking mutant dropped his fist and leapt back the way it had come, upward into the beams that lined the roof of the hallway, leaving me to face the robots alone. Acting on instinct I lunged upwards as well, hot on lizard lips heels as he sped from beam to beam in a galloping run towards the Krang. Protected by the metal struts we advanced together until we were directly over the aliens, dropping down amongst the pink laser blasts to lash out with teeth and claws and take them down. My claws ripped into one of the pink squishy bodies as I snatched the alien from it's metal nest and I barely registered the purple blood that splattered over my face. I whirled to find the next hated robot to tear apart but instead watched as the giant lizard plucked one of the pink brains out of it's robot casing and shoved it into it's mouth, tentacles hanging over black lips for a moment before it swallowed then licked it's chops with a satisfied grunt. Ew.

As soon as he finished his snack the mutant turned to me slowly. All the Krang had been taken down, was I going to be next? I waited, forcing myself to stand still as the giant lizard looked me over. Finally he met my eye and nodded, motioning with his head as he stepped over the fallen bodies of the aliens and slipped around the corner. Taking a deep breath I followed, tail swishing behind me as I slunk through the shadows.

* * *

"I thought that you might be able to decipher my message." Mr O'Neil led the way out of his holding cell and began striding confidently down the hallway.

"Well it wasn't so bad," Donny replied modestly, catching up to April's dad so that he could check around a corner first before they rounded it "you used a basic BVB scrambled algorithm so I just _flopped the ECM data stream_." The last part was said in sync with Kirby as Donny and the red haired scientist grinned at each other happily. Their moment of camaraderie was cut short however as Donatello caught a flash of movement from his periphery vision. Man and mutant frowned and looked towards the end of the hallway. "Donatello, why are all the other cells open?" Mr O'Neil's voice quavered on the question and the turtle looked at him questioningly.

"I must have opened them when I let you out." Donny answered uncomfortably. "I thought the rest of them were empty." From the darkness a hiss sounded and they took a small step backward together.

"I'm not so sure about that." Kirby said without taking his eyes off the end of the corridor. A small clang echoed from above them and they flinched as they looked upward to the steel girders that were mostly shrouded in darkness.

"Ok, don't worry." Donatello placed his hand reassuringly on April's father's shoulder. "Whatever this is I'm sure I can han...gah!"

A great weight dropped from above them and the two men crumpled beneath it with muffled yells. They scrambled to their feet, jaws dropping as they took in the lizard type mutant that was hissing loudly at them.

"On second thought sir, you might want to worry just a little." Donny tried to keep his voice calm as they backed away. Before they got too far the enormous lizard pointed a huge fist and began firing flaming yellow projectiles at them from the device strapped to it's wrist. Immediately they turned tail and ran, frantically ducking behind a pillar to escape the barrage. "What is that thing?" Donny gasped.

"You must have accidentally released one of the Krang's alien experiments." Mr O'Neil hid behind the giant turtle as a chunk of their pillar was blown away by a yellow blast of fire. They made a run for it as their hiding place became exposed, rabbiting down the corridor in search of a a way to escape the mutant.

"It looks like some family of salamander if I'm not mistaken." Donatello panted as they ran.

"With that epidermis?" Kirby scoffed as he kept pace. "It's clearly a pleurodelinae. A newt."

They both skidded to a halt as a flashing disk whizzed past, skimming between them and sinking into the stone wall at the end of the corridor a few feet ahead. Glancing back in time to see the newt thumbing a hand held detonator Donny flung himself at Mr O'Neil to knock him out of the way mere moments before an explosion knocked a hole in the wall.

"Newtraliser is more like it!" Donny exclaimed as they scrambled back to their feet and fought their way over the rubble and through the drifting dust, ducking through the newly made escape hatch and hurrying away as fast as they could.

* * *

_10 minutes earlier..._

Three more Krang lay dead at our feet. I watched, fascinated, as the giant lizard thing strapped on his armour, apparently the now-dead aliens had been guarding it. I'd thought he was intimidating before. He methodically removed each piece from the storage box and strapped it onto his body. Belt, harness, shoulder pads, wrist and shin guards. Every single item bristled with weapons and amo causing him to grow steadily more impressive until finally he was finished suiting up. Yeah, definitely infinitely more scary now.

As soon as he was done he looked over to me and motioned with his head again. I briefly considered my options. I had initially really really hoped that the turtles had come to rescue me but since the doors had opened there hadn't been any sign of them, just this weird scary-as-fuck creature who had made the offer to team up. Maybe the brothers were behind the sudden break out, maybe they weren't, either way I couldn't afford to wait around for them to come and finish the job. I had to find my own way out however I could. I nodded in response to the mutants unspoken invitation, padding after him as he made his way down the hall back the way we'd come. At least this thing seemed to know where it was going.

We made our way through the hallways quickly and quietly. There were no more Krang patrols blocking our way and I gradually relaxed a little as I followed the lizard's sure movements. Several minutes passed in near total silence before my ears picked up the faint sound of voices. I hesitated and looked at the armoured up lizard. He didn't slow so I was pretty sure he hadn't heard anything yet. We continued along, keeping to the shadows and I strained my ears trying to hear more, it sounded like two guys having a conversation. Their voices were getting louder now and I was pretty sure they weren't Krang. Not monotone enough. I noticed that lizard lips had switched his confident stride for a slower, more cautious gait. My suspicion that he had finally heard the voices too was confirmed when he glanced back at me and motioned with his hand in a gesture that looked like 'wait'. Adrenalin started pumping through me again and I made the quick decision to leap up onto the steel beams that lined the ceiling once more. Immediately the darkness made me feel a lot better as it wrapped around me like a cloak.

"...scrambled algorithm so I just flopped the ECM data stream!" Two male voices blended together as they talked sciency sounding rubbish, must be some of the bastard scientists that worked here. One of them sounded vaguely familiar, might be one of the guys who'd poked me with a needle in the past. I looked down to see that the mutant lizard had disappeared. I loped forward a few beams, trying to see if I could catch sight of him again and as I did so more of the scientist's conversation reached my ears.

"I'm not so sure about that." The guy who spoke sounded worried, his voice clearer as he drew even closer to my position. Good. He should be nervous. I hoped the lizard guy tore him apart. It would serve him right for working with robot aliens.

"Gah!" There was the sound of yelling shortly followed by rapid laser blasts. I bounded forward the last few feet, lightly leaping from beam to beam, until I came around the final corner to see that below me the lizard mutant was unleashing the full fury of his recovered weapons at a pillar half way down the hallway. There was a flash of movement from behind the pillar as one of the guys stuck his head out to sneak a look. In response the lizard launched a small rocket that tore a massive chunk of their hiding place away in a spray of crumbling concrete. The two guys made a run for it, weaving their way down the corridor to avoid the yellow laser fire and I finally got a good look at them. A surge of surprise and relief made my muscles actually go weak for a moment. One of the figures had a shell, green legs pumping and purple bandana tails waving behind him as he ran. That was Donny!

The lizard mutant stopped firing for a moment and withdrew a large circular disk from the back of his belt. He turned his body at the waist as he cocked his arm then he flicked it with a powerful motion like he was tossing a frisbee. My relief turned to horror as I watched him brandish a small device like a pen with a red button on one end. My eyes flew to where the disk had embedded itself into the wall in front of the turtle and the partially balding red haired guy he was with. That was Donny!

As if in slow motion I launched myself from my perch near the ceiling towards the mutant, desperately trying to get to him before he pressed that button. At the same time Donny grabbed the old dude and threw his weight into propelling them both sideways away from the explosive that was flashing red. The lizard's thumb pressed down on the trigger a second before I slammed into him with all my weight, taking us both to the floor. Bits of shrapnel from the wall rained down on us as we lay in a tangle, the lizard lay stunned for a moment before snarling at me and shoving me away so hard I slid several feet. I watched in fear as he raised himself up and lifted his hand to point one of his mini rocket launchers directly at my face, snarling in wordless anger. Suddenly his eyes shifted to something behind me and he changed targets, firing yellow lasers over my head instead as pink ones fired straight back. The Krang. Never in my life did I think I would be glad those guys turned up again, they had just saved me from losing my face for the second time in one day.

I cringed on the floor while they shot at each other. The mutated lizard squeezed off a few more rounds before turning tail and disappearing through the hole in the wall, the same way Donatello must have gone. I scrambled to my feet, getting in a tangle because for a moment I forgot I had four instead of two, all the while desperately trying to call out. All that came out was a screeching growl. Fuck! I couldn't talk like this!

_"Krang, the one known as the one who needs further testing has also escaped."_

Shift, I needed to shift back to my human form so I could yell. Even as I thought it I was doing it, muscle and bone contorting painfully as I regained my human shape. I fell to the floor again, God it hurt, "Donny..." This time actual words came out of my mouth. I struggled to my knees, grit digging into my bare shins.

_"Krang take the one who is the one who has escaped back to the place known as the holding unit."_

I took a deep breath and lifted my head. "DONNY!" I screamed as I desperately struggled forward, trying to follow after them. "I'm _here_!" Cold metal hands dug into the naked flesh of my arms and legs, a bare silver limb wrapped around my waist. "_DONNY_!" I was pulled from the floor in a painful grip. "Donny..." this time his name broke on a sob as I fought against the Krang's hold. "No, let me _go_. He was supposed to get me..._Donny_!" Tears were obscuring my vision, blurring the faces of the robots and making their large pink eyes bleed across their faces. "I'm right here." I told one of them, it's head tilted slightly as it looked back at me dispassionately.

"Doesn't he realise...?"

* * *

_Three days later..._

"I've great news Master Shredder. I have perfected the mind control device. There was one casualty during the process, the polar bear unfortunately had to be taken down during a destructive rampage, however I can now assure you that the four remaining mutants are ready for training."

"Very good."

_AN: Sorry if I got any geek talk wrong in this chapter!_


	9. Animal Problems

_Hi everyone :) This chapter is giving me attitude big time! The last section was added only just before posting. Sorry if it sucks. Let me know what you think!_

_RBBBH Thanks for your review! I've thrown a bit more Baxter in here just for you ;) Not much though and now I'm thinking maybe I can give him his own chapter down the line._

_BubbleEwa I adore Mikey too and, while I think the 2012 cartoon version of him is totally cute, I actually prefer the 1990 movie version of him, that Mikey isn't as immature and is goofy rather than, uh, dumb (ouch but true). Yep Scarlett is a leopard, how could she not be? They are too awesome :) She broke my heart when she was calling out for Donny, that part really just wrote itself. She was so sure he was there to rescue her and he never realised :( Thanks again for the kind words, it really makes my day reading your reviews. And yes I think that one may be a smidge longer than the last lol xo_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, I write just for fun._

* * *

_..._

_..._

_...this is worse this is so much..._

_..._

_..._

_...it's like a tv being switched randomly through channels, never stopping long enough to properly see what's showing. Or like a scratched CD missing chunks of songs. Huge periods of time are being skipped over. I can't..._

_..._

_..._

_...I can't...I can't even snatch a full minute of awareness for myself let alone influence the leopard anymore. They've done something to me, pushed me nearly all the way out..._

_..._

_..._

* * *

Metallic heads turned, swivelling to watch her as she strode through the door and making their stupid _brrap brrap_ noises as she passed them. She ignored the Krang and continued on, only stopping once she reached the glass cylinders that had been holding the mutants since their return from the alien detention centre. Baxter Stockman halted obediently just behind her right shoulder, she spoke without even looking at him. "I want to move them to Foot Clan headquarters tonight." She could sense Stockman wringing his hands behind her and rolled her eyes. He always got twice as annoying when they were at TCRI, you'd think he'd love being around so much alien technology but instead he turned into even more of a quivering mess.

"It's only been two weeks of basic training Karai, are you confident they are ready?" Bradford's meaty growl rumbled from high above her left shoulder.

"I'm confident." Shredder's daughter replied, still not taking her eyes from the pacing animals. She smiled affectionately, admiring the way lean muscle bunched smoothly under the lion's coat as it continued to pace. The rhino was big and ugly, the gorilla was big, ugly and hairy, but the two giant cat's were beautiful, everything a ninja should be. Powerful, deadly, stealthy. Definite favourites of hers, perhaps because father had never allowed her to have a kitten when she was five. For a moment she allowed herself to daydream, picturing herself sitting on her fathers throne, _her_ throne, commanding the Foot Clan flanked by her pets. There was a discrete cough from behind her and she reluctantly shook herself free of the image. "In fact I'm so confident that they are ready I want to take them out for a test run on the way home, let them stretch their legs." She said and turned on her heel, tossing the keys to Baxter Stockman as she passed and grinning at his flinch. "Load them into the vans."

* * *

Four shadows flitted their way across the darkened rooftops. Their spins leaps dashes and flips were quick enough to confuse the eye of anyone who caught a glimpse of their activities and cast doubt on whatever the watcher thought they saw. Someone close enough might have heard the rough whisper of feet over concrete, or a slight grunt of effort every now and then, but before they'd have the chance to look up the shadows would be gone.

The figures halted, blending into the protective shade of a water tower, four sets of white eyes glow from the darkness.

"It's so quiet tonight."

"Yeah, a little too quiet!" Michelangelo grinned at the expected groans that followed his poor attempt at a joke then ducked the slap aimed at the back of his head by his older brother. "C'mon guys lighten up! Quiet is a good thing right?"

Leo huffed quietly to himself and moved to the edge of the rooftop to look out across the city. He placed one foot on the raised edge and leant a forearm on his knee. "I'm not so sure guys. I can just feel it, like everything is holding its breath." He turned as the other three turtles emerged from the shadows to join him. "Something big is going to happen soon."

Donny came to stand beside him wearing a matching sombre expression. "It has been an abnormally long time without any activity from The Foot, Krang or the Purple Dragons." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You'd think one of them would be up to something by now, it's been what...three weeks...since we chased the Purple Dragons out of Mr Murakami's shop then dealt with Xever. Then another two weeks since we rescued Mr O'Neil from the Krang. Since then nothing. It's weird."

Behind them Raph rolled his eyes at his brother's drama but refrained from mocking them. They were right after all, a pall of expectation was hanging over New York like a fog. The fact they hadn't seen any unusual activity from their usual foe's for a few weeks was enough to make everything just seem wrong but this unnatural quiet was something else. Master Splinter was always reminding them about ninja senses and right now his were screaming at him that something was going on.

"Maybe we should just call it a night?" Leo sounded uncharacteristically doubtful as he lifted a shoulder. "We have been patrolling for a long time without results, perhaps whatever is waiting to happen just needs time to...happen."

"Yeah, ain't nothing gonna happen tonight." Raph turned back the way they'd come. On cue an animalistic roar split the night immediately followed by an earth shaking _BOOOOM_. He snapped his head back over his shoulder as his jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me!" He flailed his arms wildly at the sky for a moment and let his head fall back in a display of exasperation. "Why don't I say these things earlier?" He muttered then followed his brothers as they rushed back to the edge of the roof and looked out towards where the explosion had come from.

"Yeah Raph," Mikey nodded solemnly "it woulda been nice without all this waiting around ya know."

"Shuddup." It slipped out without any heat behind it, all their attention now focussed on the black smoke floating towards the sky from a block over.

"Come on!" Leo sprang into action, leaping towards the neighbouring roof with his brothers close behind.

It took barely any time to make their way to the spot where the commotion was coming from. The brothers paused on the edge of the building to take in the scene. Smoke was billowing from a car that had been overturned in the middle of the street. A few last screaming humans were disappearing around the corner leaving the road empty apart from the large animal snorting and pawing furiously at the hard surface of the street.

"What, a rhino escaped from the zoo?" Raph looked over questioningly at Donny who was frowning hard.

"I don't think that's an ordinary rhino." Donny shook his head.

"I dunno Donny, I've never been to the zoo but that sure looks like a rhino to me." Mikey adopted a haughty know-it-all look and nodded his head sagely. "Grey, big, wicked horn on its face."

"Numbskull, there's no rhino on Earth that huge. It's got to be at least twice the size of a normal one!" Donny threw an exasperated arm towards the creature which was now using its mammoth horn to flip another car before clambering over the top of it and attempting to stamp it into the ground. Another explosion rocked the air, causing the brothers to flinch backwards, a fireball engulfed the rhino momentarily before dissipating and revealing the animal unharmed.

"That's one tough mega rhino." Leo said impressed.

"Bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Raph let a gleeful smile spread across his face as he smashed his fist into his palm. Before he could leap from the roof to go on the attack Leo held him back with an arm across his chest.

"Hold on Raph, there's more of them."

Down on the street a lion stalked towards the rhino. It stopped a few feet away from the larger creature and shook it's mane before letting out an impressive roar. It's shaggy head was thrown back as spittle sprayed from it's mouth. The brothers heads snapped around as a rumbling growl answered the lions call. An impressive dark coloured leopard loped into view from a side ally, easily half again as big as it should have been. It reached the lion and came to a stop. Growling and snarling the two felines snapped at each other before breaking off in different directions to prowl around the scene of destruction, adding to it with swipes of their massive paws.

"Look!" Mikey whispered and pointed as a white van pulled up at the end of the street in the direction the lion had come from. The back opened and two Krang droids stepped out wearing their man suits and hefting large laser guns.

"Krang!" Raph snarled.

"Mutants." Donny breathed "I knew it!"

"They could be Krang aliens from their home dimension." Leo mused.

"Gaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Mikey screamed as a large dark shape exploded over the edge of the building they were perched on, collected the youngest turtle on the way, and slammed him into the roof a few feet away.

"Mikey!" Donny ran towards his brother who was wrestling to escape from under a gorilla the size of a grizzly bear, shouting back over his shoulder "Go! Take care of the other mutants!" Raph and Leo paused for a split second before their eyes hardened, only white showing as they swept over the side of the building to the street below. Landing lightly amongst the chaos they immediately set to attacking the mutants, weapons whirling.

Using the street light to gain momentum Leo flung himself towards the nearest mutant, the lion, and delivered a solid two footed blow across it's face before flipping back out of reach. The feline roared in pain, staggering a little before shaking the blow off and giving chase to it's tormentor. The eldest turtle continued retreating, using cars like stepping stones as the giant cat gained ground. A searing pain across his upper bicep reminded him of the Krang droids and their blasters, they were closing in on his right. Grunting with the effort he jumped out of range just in time to avoid losing a limb to the claws of the lion who had caught up with him from behind. Scrambling to find safer ground he leapt to a second floor balcony with the feline mutant hot on his heels and brick chips stinging his skin as blaster shots rained around him.

Not far away Raph was faring little better with the mutated rhino. He'd managed to leap onto it's back and sink his sai's deep into it's leathery hide just behind each shoulder which sent a shockwave of pain through his wrists, this thing's skin is _tough_, but enabled him to maintain his perch as the angry mutant stampeded blindly along the road. Despite the wounds the massive animal had hardly slowed down and Raph was struggling to find a way to take the animal out. Swearing loudly he flattened himself along the rhino's hide, clenching his jaw as his shell scraped painfully along the underside of a hanging street sign. Blood from the wounds his sai's had inflicted were running onto the grips making the twin weapons slippery. As the mutant whirled around to charge again Raph was finally flung from it's back to roll along the street. He came to a rest on his back and immediately his eyes widened before he flung himself to the side frantically. Seconds later, right where he'd just been lying, the massive body of the mutant gorilla slammed into the street with a sickening squishy thud, creating a decent sized crater and sending a cloud of grit and dust into the air.

"Jeez were you aiming for me?!" Raph groused loudly as he rolled to his feet. His two younger brothers landed lightly next to him. Donatello rolled his eyes before swinging his bo firmly and deflecting the flashing claws of the black leopard before they raked across Raphael from behind. It hissed in pain and retreated a few steps snarling. "You're welcome." He said dryly without taking his eyes from the large predator.

"Watch it!" Mikey barrelled into both of them from the side and the mutated lion closed it's jaws on thin air where Donny's head had been a moment before. Clambering to their feet the three turtles retreated hastily into a darkened ally as pink laser blasts shot overhead. "Dudes I think we are outgunned and out mutanted."

"That's _not_ a word." Donny's reprimand came automatically.

"Mikey's right," Leo landed beside them, sweat dripping off his brow as he panted harshly "these things are way too fast and strong. We need to regroup and form a new plan."

For once Raph kept his mouth shut in the face of an imminent retreat order from Leo and instead nodded tightly. He was pissed at the loss of his sai's but the grating sting of road rash along his arms and legs made him rethink charging out there to get them back. The turtles tensed and backed up even further as the mouth of the ally was cut off by the looming presence of the mutant leopard. It's eyes flashed amber in the darkness and a rumbling growl rolled from it's throat as it gathered itself to leap. Before it could a piercing whistle blasted from behind it. Immediately the giant cat whirled and retreated back the way it had come.

"What the...?" Donny was the first to move, reaching the corner of the ally in time to watch the leopard, lion and rhino being quickly loaded into the back of several large white vans by the Krang.

"Woah, guess gorillas don't bounce." Mikey stage whispered and all four of them watched grimly as the hairy mutant's broken body was pried from the road by two Krang bots and thrown unceremoniously into the last van.

As the van doors slammed shut and their engines revved the faint sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Leo turned to the others, one hand pressed over his arm which was still bleeding steadily from the laser blast. "Let's go."

* * *

_..._

_..._

_...a flash of green. Turtles? No, they aren't coming. I have to stop tortur..._

_..._

_..._

* * *

"I still don't get it," Back in the lair Mikey threw the small football into the air above his head and caught it again easily as he swung his leg to keep himself rocking on the tyre swing "why did they retreat like that? They totally had us on the ropes."

Donatello glanced over at his younger brother without breaking stride. "My only theory is that it was some kind of training run." He ran a hand over his bald head, turned, and continued back the way he'd come. "To take four mutants and let them loose like that just doesn't make sense though. Were the Krang trying to draw us out? If so then why did they retreat at the last second?" He turned and once again paced back the way he'd just come. "And don't get me started on those mutants, have the Krang finally started experimenting with mutagen? I know they've been stockpiling it but what for? Up until now all the mutations that have happened have been an accident...haven't they? And if they are experimenting then have they turned humans into animal hybrid mutants or just mutated normal animals so they are bigger? And where the heck did they get leopard, gorilla..."

"Will you cut it out already?" Raphael groused from where he was playing pinball. "You're making my head hurt."

Leonardo flexed his arm and winced as the bandages pulled across his wound. "Raph's right Donny, we can't keep going over this. We have no idea what they were actually doing out there tonight but at least now we know that they have at least three mutated animals, maybe more." He pushed to a standing position from where he'd been leaning against Raph's pinball game and stopped Donny with a hand on his shoulder. "All we can do for now is wait and watch. Concentrate our patrols around TCRI and see what happens next."

Raph threw an evil grin over his shoulder "Don't worry Donny, they caught us by surprise this time and even then we still finished off one of them. Next time? Next time they are all going down!"

* * *

"I am most displeased Karai." The wavery pink hologram of her father glared at her and she fought the urge to squirm. This way much more fun when he was yelling at someone else. "Not only have you alerted the turtles to the existence of our test subjects but you have gotten another one of them killed. Perhaps I made a mistake leaving you in charge while I was gone."

"I'm sorry father," she kept her gaze locked on the floor as she knelt and accepted the verbal lashing from the Shredder despite the gall burning the back of her throat. "I had merely wished to take the animals for a short training run to test their obedience while in the field. The turtles turning up was an unfortunate coincidence." _Not to mention the stupid rhino sending up a flare for the whole city to see_ she seethed internally. "I am certain they did not see me..."

"When dealing with those wretched turtles always expect them to turn up at the wrong time." Shredders voice dripped with malice as he ignored her attempt at a silver lining. "And what of retreating early from the battlefield?"

Karai blanched and wet her lips before hanging her head even lower. "I...they killed the gorilla. Our second loss in a month. I did not want to risk any further deaths."

"Do not let this happen again daughter, next time you take your pets out to play at least be sure to let them finish the job." He flicked his wrist to end the communication but before his hologram flickered out he added "I will deal with you when I return..."

"Can't wait." Karai muttered as she rose from her kneeled position and brushed off her knee with a grimace. Turning on her heel and left the chamber with an impatient stride, heading towards the bowels of the old church where a much more pleasant task awaited. Before calling her father to update him on the latest developments within the Foot Clan she'd instructed the Krang who'd accompanied them on their trip from TCRI, to transfer the remaining three mutants to their holding cells. She'd had the spaces ready for weeks now in anticipation of their arrival and was eager to see how they were settling in.

It was still cold down here she noted with a grimace as she strode down the dim corridor. She would get Stockman to check the heating. The cells were quiet and for a moment Karai was worried she would find the cells empty, that yet another thing had gone wrong in the short space of time in which she had been talking to the Shredder, but when she came to a stop at the first small room a smile of relief settled on her face. A girl sat on the small bed which was pushed up against the far wall. She was unnaturally still, bare feet resting neatly on the floor and neck bowed so that her dark hair covered her face. Karai noted with a scowl that the strands were knotted into tangles. Apparently the aliens didn't know much about human or animal care beyond the very basic. At least they had clothed her in a basic outfit of lose white pants and top. For a moment Karai's gaze left the girl and scanned the rest of the room, pleased to see that everything was in place. Colourful rugs were scattered on the floor to further alleviate the chill, a small table and single chair were flush against one wall while on the other was a dresser big enough to hold a few changes of clothing. Karai had ordered a lamp to be fitted to the wall to drive away the gloom and a rice paper screen gave the mutant some privacy while using the toilet. The other three cells had similar adjustments made, something she was certain wouldn't have been thought of by her father or any of his goons.

Her attention returned to the shifter, "_Kimasu_." Obediently the girl rose and padded silently across the rugs to stand in front of Karai. Amber eyes rose to meet brown, a smile spread across one set of twisted lips. "Welcome home."

* * *

_Kimasu_ \- come


	10. There She Goes

_I've been sick all week and my head is sore, I enjoyed writing this chapter though so let me know what you think :)_

_RBBBH - thanks, I always agonise over my writing so it's nice to hear that people enjoy my story_

_Mac Willows - I love OC's too and I always create my own, hope you enjoyed reading about Scarlett._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

"I'm taking Sumi and Kin on an errand." Karai sprawled on her fathers throne, looking down at Xever and Bradford insolently as she addressed them with a bored air. "Father has just sent word that there's a shipment of weapons being delivered tonight to replace the one intercepted by the turtles last month. He wants me there to oversee the transaction. Sumi and Kin are to accompany me as my bodyguards."

Bradford bristled visibly, his one huge fist clenching in anger. "Your father left me in charge as your bodyguard Karai."

As if on cue two sets of eyes, one amber and the other gold, blinked open then glowed from the shadows that blanketed either side of the throne. After a moment two shadows broke away and resolved themselves into human forms as they emerged from the darkness. Karai smoothly rose to her feet and took a few steps forward, her pets coming to a stop on either side of her. Two teenagers, one a dark haired girl and the other a fair haired boy, glowered down at Xever and Bradford as they flanked their mistress. In their current form the shifters were neither large nor overly threatening in appearance yet the mutants below them shared an uneasy glance under the weight of their cold gazes which seemed to pin them to the floor. Her pets were dressed in matching outfits consisting of loose white cotton pants and tops, with their bare feet and young faces they almost looked innocent but Xever and Bradford had seen first hand what they could do. These were no children.

Karai savoured the moment, enjoying the discomfort on the faces of her father's henchmen, cutting them a withering glare down her nose. "I am the one calling the shots now _Dogpound_," she sneered, deliberately using the turtles name for him "and I say I would rather take my pets than the Shredder's. At least mine haven't caused me to lose face." Bradford flinched as if from a blow and she smiled viciously.

The Dog-man's voice was slightly choked as he tried to reason "But Karai, the men who have the shipment are expecting me to be there. They won't just hand it over to you if I'm not there in person. They could get violent."

The girl sniffed and waved a hand "Let me worry about that. Sumi and Kin have excelled in their training, I won't even need to get my hands dirty should things go south."

Finally Bradford conceded "Very well, I will make the arrangements." He gave a small bow and made to take his leave.

"No need," Karai flicked a wrist and Bradford halted in his tracks. "The van and car are already waiting for us out front." She started forward and her pets kept pace, slinking down the stairs and brushing past Xever and Bradford on their way to the front door. The shifters empty eyes stayed fixed straight ahead, Xever gave an involuntary shiver as they passed but otherwise the two mutants remained still, breath held, until the trio reached the front doors of the lair then slipped through it without another word.

As soon as they left a mutual sigh of relief echoed around the room. "I am beginning to regret taking that girl from the clubhouse." Xever growled.

Bradford for once agreed with the slimy freak. He rubbed a furry hand over his face wearily "The boy isn't much better, I just hope Master Shredder returns from Japan sooner rather than later."

* * *

"We're here, pull up." The driver brought the car to a smooth stop as they reached the empty lot. Karai swivelled in her seat to address Sumi and Kin. "_Gādo_."

"_Hai sensei_." The shifters replied in unison then exited the car and followed Karai. The place chosen for the transaction was quite suitable the girl thought as she scanned the area with a critical eye. The abandoned lot was pinned in on three sides by buildings of various heights. Several windows overlooked the space but all were boarded over so there was little risk of being observed, especially where they had pulled up in the far corner. It was poorly it and with the cars parked in such a way they blocked the view from the street there was no chance of anyone catching a glimpse of their movements.

Tyres crunching on gravel signalled the arrival of the van which prompted Karai to get to work. She strode confidently towards the small truck parked at an angle a few feet away and saw as she stepped around it that it's back doors were opened wide. One of the men who'd been serving as lookout made brief eye contact with her then motioned to someone she couldn't see with a quick flick of his fingers. Two more men emerged from the far side of the truck, arms crossed and scowls fixed as they ran their eyes over her disdainfully.

Undaunted Karai came to a stop before them and planted her fists on her hips, her pets flanking her. "Who's in charge?" She asked in a no nonsense tone. For a moment none of them answered, then one who'd been acting as lookout lifted his chin at her. "I'm Kado."

She narrowed her gaze on him "Ok Kado, have your men load the crates." Her brows rose, eyes flashing in anger as the guy spat on the ground at her feet.

"Where is Bradford? We were told to hand over the cases to him not a bunch of kids." He swept a hand across the air in front of him dismissively. "I am not handing over anything until I speak to him."

"Oh, I think you will." The girl replied dangerously. "I am Karai, Shredder's second in command, the one in charge while he tends to more important business. Money has been exchanged, get the cases now or we will teach you a lesson in manners." On either side of her the shifters stepped forward in unison, low growls drifting on the night air. Their shoulders drew up slightly and their chins lowered as they glared from under their brows. The two men behind Kado shifted uncomfortably as menace radiated from the pair in near visible waves.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" Kado scoffed loudly "Little children playing while daddy is away?"

"_Kogeki_!" Karai snapped out the command in a clear voice and immediately Sumi and Kin leapt forward. The weapons dealer yelled in surprise when the two teenagers set to attacking his men. There was a wet crunch followed by a scream as Kin flattened the nose of one of them then whirled to sweep his feet out from under him. Sumi leapt gracefully and kicked out with both feet to send the other guy flying backward into the back of the truck where he landed with a hollow sounding bang. She twisted mid air to land on her feet and hands then, without missing a beat, pushed away from the ground and drove her fist upward into the solar plexus of Kado before he could draw the weapon hidden in the small of his back.

"_Yamete_!" The two mutants relaxed and retreated to Karai's side, expressions blank. The only sounds for a few moments were the groans of the injured men. Karai patiently waited until Kado climbed back to his feet, one arm wrapped around his chest as he wheezed. She met his eye and cocked an eyebrow. "I am Shredder's daughter and I swear in his name that I will have my pets kill you if you show me another drop of disrespect. Do not make the mistake of thinking you are irreplaceable." She held his gaze unflinchingly until he nodded. "Good, now have your men load the van. I don't have all night."

The three teenagers stood and watched silently as the limping men transferred the cases of weapons to the van, moving stiffly and sniffing back blood but not complaining. The Purple Dragon who'd driven the van eventually came to lend a hand but even so it was slow going transferring the heavy crates.

After a few minutes Sumi shifted, turning her head and sniffing the air. Karai noticed and watched her curiously. The mutant girl's amber eyes scanned the roofline of the buildings then looked to the female ninja questioningly. "_Patorōru_." Karai ordered softly and the shifter immediately slunk away, blending into the shadows.

* * *

Donatello squinted at the game boy in his hand and rotated the red knob, tongue sticking from the side of his mouth. "This way?" He pointed vaguely off to the buildings to their right and began walking slowly all the while squinting at the display and hoping the egg beaters would whir to life any second.

"Was that a question or a statement?" Leonardo tried to keep his tone even but irritation was creeping in. Finding the missing containers of ooze was important, the people of New York needed them to keep looking. It was their fault the mutagen canisters littered the city and they couldn't rest until every last one had been found...no matter how boring it was.

Raph had no such qualms about hiding his rising impatience. "Oh, it was question. Brainiac here has no idea if his," he stabbed a finger at the contraption in Donny's hand angrily "thing, works or not."

"It does." Donny answered stiffly and snapped the mutagen tracker to his belt. "I mean, I'm sure it will at some point." He caught the incredulous stares of his brothers and huffed. "Just, c'mon." He took a few running steps then jumped to clear the gap between buildings. His brothers groaned and followed him reluctantly.

A few minutes later they paused on a water tower to get their bearings. Mikey yawned loudly while Donny paced around holding the modified game boy up like he was trying to get signal bars on a cell phone. "I think the signals getting weaker." Donny grumbled to himself. He whacked on the side of the gameboy but the green and red christmas lights only flickered dimly. He took a few steps to his left and gave a startled gasp when the eggbeaters twitched. "Did you guys see that?"

"I can't believe how bored I am." Raph grumbled as they gathered around the mutagen tracker. "This is actually exciting."

Donatello took a few steps to the edge of the tower and the eggbeaters began turning slowly, christmas lights a little brighter. He looked at his brothers and grinned, "I think it's finally working."

"It was indicating this direction." Leo motioned and the turtles were off again, a little faster this time in anticipation of actually finding something.

Just a moment later they skidded to a stop yet again. Donny groaned in frustration and shook the contraption. "The signals failed again! Stupid piece of..."

"Dude," Mikey complained from his position halfway up the service ladder of a billboard. "I can't take this much longer. I'm so bored I'm gonna scream." He flopped to hang upside down by one foot, arms dangling, and took a deep breath.

"Mikey just give me a sec..." Donatello pleaded.

"Mikey." Leo growled out a warning.

"_Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_..."

"Will you knock it off?" Raph stomped over and whacked his little brother upside the head "Ninja's are quiet numbskull! That was loud enough for people to hear on the street you idiot."

The orange banded turtle rubbed his skull as he dropped from the ladder and glared. "Who the heck is gonna care Raph? It's not like I yelled _mutant turtle alert_ or somethin."

"Will _both_ of you shut up." Leo hissed. "Something's going on down there."

"Huh?" The remaining turtles crowded around Leo and looked over the lip of the building. Sure enough down below them three vehicles; a car, white van and a small black truck, had pulled up in the abandoned lot. By the way they'd been parked at an angle it was obvious that whoever was down there was trying to block the view from the street. Unfortunately the turtles view was also blocked and they couldn't see what was going on down there.

"That white van is classic Purple Dragons." Raph offered in a thoughtful tone. "Could be stolen goods getting moved on."

"Could be nothing." Mikey countered. "We can't actually see what they're doing."

Raph scoffed "Yeah we get a lot of innocent people meeting in abandoned lots in the middle of the night."

"We can't just charge down there and attack them Raph," Donny pointed out "we don't even know who they are or what they are doing."

"If we change positions, move over to the next building, we can get a better line of sight." Leo raised a hand to point then halted as Donny's mutagen tracker came to life again. All of them stared at it as it whirred slowly, lights blinking softly.

"What is it doing?" Mikey poked it with a finger.

"Stop that." Donny slapped his finger away and took a step to the side. Immediately the device whirred even stronger.

"It's picking up something." Raph watched as Donny took a few more steps towards the centre of the roof. Uneasily he pulled his sai's out.

"Relax." Leo shook his head. "There's nobody up here."

"Are you sure?" Mikey shivered theatrically and rubbed his arms. "I'm starting to get the creepy feeling we're being watched.

Donny continued to move slowly around the roof, once again holding the tracker up like he was trying to catch a signal. "You are ridiculously susceptible to suggestion." He informed his brother absently while sweeping the modified gameboy from side to side. The signal seemed to be strongest coming from the billboard Mikey had been hanging from when they first landed on the roof. He took a few steps towards it then halted, goosebumps prickling the skin on his arms, as a low menacing growl drifted to them. "Although in this case it would seem you are right." He said in a rush as he dropped the tracker and reached for his bo. Around him his brothers closed ranks and drew their own weapons.

For several long beats nothing happened. The turtles strained their ears and eyes but could pinpoint nothing in the shadows, the deep inky pools thrown into even sharper contrast by the small spotlights aimed at the billboards face. The breeze shifted and on it was a scent that instinctually caused the brothers to glance nervously at each other. Predator. There was a tiny shift of movement in the shadows, the soft sound of fabric moving, then light caught the glow of amber eyes as it's owners came forward slightly, not quite leaving the protective cloak of darkness.

"Who's there?" Leo called out in a strong voice.

Another low growl sounded, a little louder this time. "_Patorōru_." A voice hissed. Amber eyes blinked once, flickering in and out of the darkness but showing no change in position.

"_Patorōru_?" Raph eyed the others with a confused expression.

"Who are you?" Leo tried again, katanas steady as their tips pointed towards the disembodied eyes. "Show yourself."

Once again there was nothing for a few moments, then the soft sound of bare feet whispering over concrete. A figure emerged from the darkness. "No…way…" Mikey gasped, "Scarlett?"

"Turtles." Her voice was low and gravelly. She took a few more steps into the moonlight then paused, never once taking her eyes off the brothers.

Mikey was the first to lower his weapons. His nunchucks had fallen still the moment he saw her step out of the shadows and now he absently tucked them into his belt. His eyes roved over Scarlett and in turn her eyes never left him, tracking his every movement from under her bangs as he came a few steps closer.

"Mikey just...don't go any closer." Leo quickly sheathed one of his swords then snagged Michelangelo by the back of his shell, casting a nervous look sideways at Donatello. The way Scarlett was staring at his baby brother was making his shell itch. "Something's off, what do you think Donny?" He kept his voice low but still her odd eyes flicked to him before settling back on Mikey.

"Let me go Leo, it's Scarlett." Mikey frowned over his shoulder at his brother and tried to shake loose.

"No way Mike," Raph gripped him by the wrist "can't you feel it? Something here is really wrong."

Their attention snapped back to Scarlett when she took a silent step forward, the wind picked up, fluttering the thin cotton pants and top against her body and carrying that scent, that wrong scent, to them once again.

"Donny?" Leo asked again, tugging Mikey backwards a step.

"She looks ok physically." Donatello slowly re-holstered his bo on his back. "Let me get a bit closer."

"Donny wait I don't think..."

"Scarlett, are you alright?" Donatello ignored Leo and walked slowly forward until he was within arms reach of Scarlett. She watched him come closer, tilting her head but otherwise remaining still. "We haven't seen you for a long time, your brother was worried." He kept his voice low and soothing and reached for her arm. She dropped her head to watch the movement from beneath a lowered brow, a low rumble started in her chest as his fingertips came within an inch of her shoulder.

"Uh, Donny? Maybe that's not such a good idea after all..." Mikey's voice startled the brainy turtle, he started to withdraw but before he could Scarlett's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. In a blur of movement Donatello was flipped onto his back, shell meeting concrete with a loud crack. She followed with a hard kick to the side of his head that sent him tumbling to lie in a boneless heap at the feet of his brothers.

"Donny!" Leo gave a horrified shout and leapt towards his fallen brother. He barely had a moment to process the flurry of movement as she darted to meet him, ducking beneath his outstretched arm and lashing out at the side of his knee. As he went down hard her elbow caught him beneath the chin causing his jaw to clack closed so hard that, had his tongue been in the way, he'd have lost it. He collapsed half on top of Donny, propping himself up with one hand while dazedly shaking his head to clear it.

"Hey!" Raph lunged forward at the same time Scarlett leapt backwards out of range. He snarled and kept up the charge, dropping his shoulder to knock her down but instead meeting empty air as she twisted around him and delivered a kick to the back of his shell that had him stumbling and falling also.

"Scarlett stop!" Mikey popped up in front of her with palms held out. She slid to a halt and met his eyes unflinchingly. "What's going on? Why are you…ack!" Once again Scarlett was on the attack, she leapt at Mikey with clawed fingers swiping at his face. He jerked his head back just in time to avoid wickedly sharp fingernails and she hissed in frustration even as she kept coming at him.

"Get away from him!" Raph's voice rang out causing Scarlett to pause and turn. The red banded turtle had regained his feet quickly and was coming at her with the butt of his sai, too late she tried to jump out of the way. The red banded turtle's blow, intended for the base of her skull, caught her across the back of her neck instead. Immediately her whole body stiffened and she fell, rigid as a board, to lie face down on the rooftop.

"What the hell was that about?" Raph panted as he stood over Scarlett's prone body. His sai's stayed in his hands as he glared down at her. Leo picked himself, stretching out his knee gingerly and testing his weight on it before helping Donatello to his feet. The brainy turtle staggered a little and pressed a hand to the side of his head.

"I don't know." The youngest turtle said miserably. "I have no idea why she would attack us."

Raph glared at his two younger brother's in turn. "I thought Scarlett was supposed to be a friend of you two moron's!"

"She is Raph, something's happened to her!" Mikey cried.

Donny shook his head and winced. "This doesn't make sense Raph. None of this makes any sense."

Mikey gave a horrified gasp when Scarlett's body started twitching at Raph's feet. He dropped to his knees beside her as the tremors wracking her body escalated into full body convulsions. Helplessly Mikey hovered his hands over her and looked up pleadingly. "What do I do?"

Donny came to his brothers side and together they gently turned her over. Her eyes were rolled up so only the whites showed, lips pulled back in a pained grimace. The convulsions lasted another few seconds before she finally quieted. The turtles watched her tensely, waiting to see what would happen next. Mikey brushed the hair back from her forehead then scanned the rest of her body as she lay limp on the rooftop, he took in the lean lines of her body under her thin clothes, she'd gained a lot of muscle since they'd last seen her. What he could see of her body was littered with marks and bruises.

Their silent assessment was ended by a low moan. Mikey let out a loud sigh of relief as Scarlett's eyelids fluttered and her pupils came back into view. "Scar? Can you hear me?" For a moment it seemed as if she had heard him, her gaze flicked to his and she opened her mouth as if to talk. A sharp whistle sounded out across the rooftops and snapped her attention in the direction it had come from. Before the turtles could react she was wriggling away from them, slipping between their legs to get away. Leo made a reflexive grab for her, fingertips brushing over her back, but then she was free.

"Oh for fucks sake...she's getting away!" Raph was the first to move, sprinting after Scarlett as she dashed across the rooftop followed closely by his brothers. She was surprisingly fast, there was no way they could catch up to her before she was over the side of the building. They stopped short and watched as she slid down the side of the building and made a bee line across the abandoned lot for the car which was now idling as it faced the exit. The truck and white van were already pulling out onto the street. There was the slam of a car door then it too peeled away in a spray of gravel.

"What the hell is going on around here?"

* * *

_..._

_...voices shouting. The back of my neck is on fire and the concrete is rough against my cheek. I can feel my body shaking, muscles contracting painfully as conflicting signals make my limbs twitch. Oh God, I can feel. I can feel!_

_Gentle hands roll me over and I'm looking into a blurry green face. "Scar?…"_

_A voice tugging at my memory. I stare upwards confused…Mikey? I try to answer him, I think my mouth moves but nothing escapes. His face is so hopeful "Can you hear me?"_

_Yes I can!_

_The whistle, calling me back again. I try to fight it but my body ignores me, it's been too long….no no no no no….."She's getting away!"….the back of my neck is crackling, a biting pain like little shocks, ants under the skin there…cool air rushing past my face as I followed the undeniable urge to return...then dim, the sound of doors slamming shut and squealing tyres…_

_…_

_…_

_...back in a cell. This one has metal bars and stone walls. Similar to the Krang one but this is different, nicer. There's a small bed piled high with blankets in the corner. A small table with a single chair. Lights on the wall casting a soft glow. The back of my neck stings and itches, the leopard twitches and reaches a hand up to scratch at it..._

_..._

_..._

_A gurgling scream…something wet splats over my face and I reel back in horror at how warm and sticky it is. The black clad figure before me slumps to the ground in a boneless puddle..._

_…_

_..._

_...a gentle hand rests on my head, a flash of brown eyes in a pale face framed by black hair shot through with pink, lips curved in a pleased smile at my obedience…_

_..._

_..._

* * *

_Gādo_ \- Guard

_Kogeki_ \- Attack

_Yamete_ \- Stop

_Patorōru_ \- Patrol

_Sensei_ \- Teacher

_Hai_ \- Yes


	11. The Great Escape: Part 1

_GAH *bangs head on table* Struggling big time with this chapter. I know what I want to write, I can see it all play out in my head, but it won't stick to the page the way I want it to. I've discovered I struggle big time writing dialogue, internal and external. Weird because I talk non stop in real life and sucky because there's heaps of it in this chapter. I wrote then discarded over a thousand words between Donny and Mikey, cutting it all down to the bare bones. Blech...I think it all pulled together ok in the end...rant over. Let me know what you think :)_

_RBBBH - Thank you! I had lots of fun writing Sumi and Kin in the last chapter so it's good to hear they came across well. I have such a clear image of the shifters and they are scary shadow creepers *shudder*. Plus Karai was fun to write as a brat with her 'pets'._

_Tootsie7655 - thanks! :)_

_BubbleEwa - I love your recap style reviews, keep em coming! Just to clarify, the turtles don't realise yet that Scarlett is being mind controlled but they will soon ;) And yes she has regained some control her movements, she is finally self aware again yay! Who knows what she's been made to do while she's been out of it? Probably nothing good. She is going to have a lot of baggage to work through when she's finally free, I smell flashbacks! :) Also yes, Scarlett is Sumi. Karai has named her 'pets' using popular Japanese names for cats._

_Sumi = black ink_

_Kin = gold_

_No name as yet for the rhino but I may have plans for him/her in the future mwah ha ha ha!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

Mushrooms, cheese, onion, pepperoni, uh...green thing? What's a green thing doing here..oh, it's just a bit of fluff. Green things don't belong on pizza's, except maybe a green jelly bean. Good idea, have to try that...tomato sauce, garlic...

"What's with you?"

Mikey rolled his eyes up to look at Donny as he entered the kitchen but otherwise didn't lift his head from where it rested on his fist. He continued poking at the slice of pizza and mumbled "Nothin, just thinking about toppings and stuff."

Donatello frowned as he refilled his mug from the coffee machine, turning he leant on the counter and eyed his little brother over the rim of his cup. Mike was slumped at the kitchen bench looking about as miserable as Donny had ever seen him. The youngest turtle had been quiet all day and, while the genius had appreciated the unexpected peace and quiet to keep working on the retro mutagen, not being hounded constantly by a bored Mikey was just weird.

Donatello's brow wrinkled thoughtfully as he blew at the steam rising from his coffee, obviously Mikey was sad, probably needed to talk. "So...you gonna eat that?" He rolled his eyes internally at himself, great start there Don.

Mikey sighed and pushed the plate away. "Nah, I haven't been that hungry since Raph got a bad case of the squirrelanoids." He shuddered "So creepy."

Donny nodded. "Well I can see that putting a damper on Raph's hunger. Never seen _you_ pass up pizza before though." He squinted at the discarded slice. "Probably a good that you've taken a rain check on this one...is that a toenail clipping?"

"Yeah, it was under my bed." Mikey reached out to flick the offending item away then folded his arms and rested his chin on them, eyes drifting to the wilted lettuce leaf sitting in the bowl no one had had the heart to put away just yet. "It's just, everything has been bumming me out lately you know?"

_Here we go_ Donny thought. "Want to talk about it?" He pulled up a stool across from Mikey and waited expectantly.

"I guess." He sighed heavily through his nose. "I've been thinking how...ever since we dropped that mutagen all over the city things have gone from bad to worse. April hates us, Mr O'Neil is a bat, Spike went crazy, lots of creepy new mutants are popping up everywhere and then Scarlett attacked us for no reason."

"It was a shock seeing her last night." Donatello nodded in understanding. "Humans are often confusing but that...I didn't see that coming."

Mikey looked at his brother pleadingly. "Will you help me try and find her again?"

"Oh." The request took Donny by surprise. "I dunno Mikey, I'm worried about her too but last night she kinda scared, and kicked, the crap out of me." He lifted a hand to the side of his head where he could still feel the imprint of her foot. Thank goodness she hadn't been wearing shoes.

"Please Donny? I know that if I can just talk to her I can find out what's wrong. Help her." Michelangelo sat up straighter in his chair as he pleaded "She's obviously in trouble, we help people in trouble. It's kinda our thing."

Donatello shook his head reluctantly. "I really want to Mikey, I know something weird is going on with her, but the other guys..."

"The other guys don't have to know we are looking for her, we just patrol as usual, search for mutagen the same way we always do every night and keep an eye out for her. Maybe swing things so we are near the place we saw her last?"

Donny studied his brother for a brief moment then nodded once firmly. "You know what? Let's do it. At the very least I owe her from when she tried to help me." He pushed back from the bench and started towards his lab. "Go grab the others while I get my stuff." He paused at the doorway to point a finger at Mikey "But if...when, we find her you can do the talking this time. I'm staying well clear."

A wide grin split the orange banded turtles face and he scrambled to follow Donatello out of the room."It's a deal bro!"

* * *

_...she's shovelling food into her face in a frenzied rush, choking on the bread when there's not enough saliva to lubricate the lump in her mouth. I can feel how empty her stomach is. I reach out to take control and am surprised when my body obeys my order, ceasing to eat. I drop the food and lift my hands shakily to look at them for a moment, turn them over to stare at my palms. One hand raises further to rub at the back of my neck, my movements are jerky and uncoordinated but I can do it. Under my hair, where the itching is coming from is a hard metal lump. It feels loose and shocks me when I touch it making me feel fuzzy, pushing me back and threatening my control. I immediately drop my hand._

_"Sumi?"_

_That voice sparks a fear in me so intense I retreat with a jerk..._

_…_

_…_

* * *

Karai paused in front of the cell bars and cocked an eyebrow. She had been on her way back to her own quarters after bringing the shifters their meals, something she preferred to do herself, when she'd caught sight of the leopard acting strangely. The girl was at the small table, food seemingly forgotten before her as she sat staring at her hands with an expression of confusion. Karai watched curiously as the mutant lifted a hand to rub at the back of her neck.

"Sumi?"

Immediately her pet turned and faced her. "_Hai sensei?_" Amber eyes were blank as she waited for the next instruction.

Karai observed her carefully for a moment then changed her mind about leaving. Instead she slid the bolt free and entered the cell. Sumi remained expressionless while she crossed to the dresser, poured water from the jug into a small bowl beside it, then dipped a clean cloth and squeezed out the excess water. Returning to the smaller girl Karai knelt and took one of her hands in her own, there she found heavy scuff marks along the shifters palms as though she'd fallen. She washed the blood and dirt free from the scrapes and frowned. Looking up into her pet's face she brushed back the girl's fringe and saw another gash surrounded by a dark bruise on her temple.

"What happened on that roof tonight Sumi?" Karai carefully watched the mutants face as she asked but no change in expression was forthcoming let alone an answer. Her pets had been trained, programmed really, to respond to a very specific set of instructions in Japanese. The only thing any of them ever said was "hai" and less often "hai sensei".

Karai sighed and switched to Sumi's other hand to clean away the grit. The slight stirrings of anger in her chest surprised her and she realised she was upset that Sumi had been hurt. It made no sense, this is what the shifters had been created for, it's what Karai herself had been trained for since birth. Combat. She had known that when she'd sent her pet to investigate the rooftops that there was a very good chance she'd find someone up there, perhaps several someone's. At the time Karai hadn't cared, she only wanted to complete the transaction quickly and she trusted that Sumi would take care of any potential interruptions. When she'd called Sumi back she'd only noticed that the mutant had been breathing heavily, nothing else had seemed out of the ordinary. Seeing the marks on the mutants pale skin oddly frustrated her, obviously the girl _had_ found someone and that someone had been strong enough to knock her around a little.

Karai's hands stilled, tightened around the cloth until her knuckles went white. It wasn't often that she allowed herself to feel anything that would be considered 'soft'. Being Shredder's daughter had cured her of those kinds of emotions a long time ago. He had never approved of anything weak and he expected nothing less from her. Sometimes she wondered why she loved him, even doubted that he in return loved her. The thing he cared about most, even more than the Foot or honour or power, even more than her, was his vendetta with the turtles and their rat master. Loving people made you weak, gave your enemies leverage. These feelings of protectiveness for Sumi and Kin were odd and slightly disturbing. If the Shredder knew how much Karai cared about her pets...she had to be careful.

Karai realised she was staring off to the side blankly with the cloth still clenched in her fist, knees beginning to ache from the hard floor. A wry smile twisted her lips as she stood smoothly and shook her head at herself. She hadn't thought this deeply about her own feelings before, maybe it was that damn Leonardo trying to get into her head, make her doubt everything she'd been raised to believe. Sumi and Kin were simply well trained pets, they were valuable assets to the Foot and their best use was being impressive to have by her side. On some level she supposed she could see that the two mutated teenagers were of an age similar to hers and that this may trigger latent desires to form relationships with others her own age. Even simpler than that she could just be caring deeply for the first pets she'd ever owned. Either way knowing yourself was as important as knowing your enemy. She knew Sumi and Kin were a weak spot for her so now she just had to make sure no one else saw it. Especially her father.

Looking down at Sumi she noticed the tangles in the mutants dark hair, her father wasn't here now to see her so what the hell. She crossed to the dresser and swapped the soiled cloth for a hairbrush. She'd never really brushed hair before, her own had been kept short since she was a small child. When she'd first brought Sumi back to the Foot Clan's headquarters she'd briefly considered chopping the mutants locks, it was much better in combat that way, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Maybe she should do it tomorrow, make a point both to herself and to others that frivolous outward appearances held no meaning when compared to practicality. But the dark tresses were so...beautiful. She grimaced and rolled her eyes at herself. Taking the brush she began running it through Sumi's hair, the tangles caught and pulled but if the mutant felt pain she didn't even flinch. Before long the strands hung in a dark curtain down the girls back and Karai stepped back satisfied. She had no idea how to tie hair back so that would have to do. She stepped back around to face the girl and spoke softly. "_Nemasu_."

Obediently Sumi rose, crossed the room then lay down on her small bed and closed her eyes. Karai watched her for a moment before turning and leaving the room. Training started early tomorrow, she would have to make sure she went a little harder on her mutants. Convince everyone that she harboured no soft feelings for the shifters and at the same time rein in these ridiculous surges of protectiveness before they caused a problem.

* * *

The next night...

_Everything was quiet, not a single sound came from the darkened cells along the corridor. In the dark the mutants lay in their cells like corpses waiting for a necromancer. The girl I only knew as Sensei had left hours ago but still I waited a little longer just in case. I wanted to make sure she was really gone before I made my move._

_It had been about a day since I'd internally awoken from the coma I'd been in. I was aware but still trapped, stuck inside this puppet while somebody else pulled the strings. The device which controlled my body had been damaged somehow, knocked partially loose. I wasn't sure how it had happened, my memories were so disjointed and fuzzy, but I was sure Mikey had been a part of it, I remember seeing his face. Or maybe I'd just been dreaming. Regardless of how it had happened though I was back, at least partially, and I needed to do something before they realised their equipment had been damaged and fixed it._

_Moving of my own free will still wasn't easy, I had to concentrate as hard as I could to make my own body respond and even then I knew wouldn't be completely free until I got the device out of my neck. I needed to rip it out and I was guessing it would hurt like a motherfucker._

_Another problem I thought I would have to overcome was opening the door to my room, I had assumed that it would be locked, these were cells after all, but apparently I was wrong. My captors didn't feel the need. I guess they figured that, since we were all turned into relatively mindless zombies by the mind control devices, locking us in at night was pointless. When Sensei had left my cell earlier tonight she had simply pulled the door shut behind her. I'd been stunned. It was going to be that simple?_

_No it wasn't I discovered as I lay in the dark. Just because the doors weren't locked didn't mean we were unguarded. Once everything was still I could hear something whirring and clunking softly as it paced up and down the corridor ceaselessly. My ears picked up the mechanical sound of metal and gears. Robots? Probably robots. Nothing surprised me anymore. Well whatever it was I needed to get past it too._

_I'd waited long enough, I needed to get going _now_. I focussed hard and in response my body slowly sat upright in bed. I could dimly feel the weave of the rug brushing against my toes as my legs swung over the side. There were no lights on, the room was lit solely by the small skylight which allowed slivers of moonlight to fall into the cell. Even in this low light I could clearly make out every single item in the room and it felt amazing when my eyeballs looked exactly where I wanted them to. A rush of triumph swept through me followed by grim determination. I looked down at my right hand, centring my attention on it, bringing it up to brush under my hair and rest on the hard metal circle on the back of my neck. My fingertips clumsily knocked against it sending painful sparks down my spine. I felt my teeth grit as I fought through the sensations and tightened my grip around the device. I got a good hold, pinching three fingers around it firmly and steeling myself. Deep breath. Come on Scarlett, do you want to stay here forever? Just **do it**. One...two...three...I yanked hard, spine arching as my vision exploded in a shower of sparks. From far away I could hear "ungh" noises coming from my own throat. Then my body went boneless and I slid off the bed to hit the floor with a solid thud._

* * *

Light rain began to fall in a fine mist. It mixed with the oil and dirt that coated everything, making their travels even more hazardous as surfaces became slippery. Hopeful blue eyes met serious brown. The owner of the latter gave a quick shake of his head then dropped down from his vantage point and kept moving. The turtles continued to run swiftly over the rooftops. Searching.

* * *

_Sensei - teacher_

_Nemasu - rest/sleep_


	12. The Great Escape: Part 2

_Hey BubbleEwa my one and only reviewer last week! Have I told you lately how awesome you are ;) Yep Scarlett is back and busting out baby. Kin and the rhino will be back I'm sure so don't worry. Sorry about the cliffhangers...nah actually not really I love them!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

For a long time all I could see were the legs of the chair in front of my face fading in and out of focus. I stared at the patterns in the dark grain while my brain slowly caught up with itself. I was lying in a heap on the floor, cheek pressed to the rough carpet as a wet patch of drool spread under my mouth. Classy. The brain twitches had been the worst, it was like a joy buzzer going off randomly in my head and each time it made everything short circuit. The 'brain zaps' had gotten further and further apart until, finally, I was pretty sure they had stopped.

When I was confident my body would obey me I started by trying to move my arms. They responded easily, sliding over the carpet, the deliciously clear sensation of rough fibres rubbing over my skin made me shiver. I noticed that my right hand was clenched tightly shut. My nails dug into my palm as I clutched something in my hand, the circular shape pressed hard into my skin. With a heave I rolled onto my back, wincing at the aches in my muscles, and opened my fist to see what I was holding. It was a round silver lump of metal with a tiny red light blinking on one side and a wicked looking spike on the other. The whole thing was speckled with blood. Trembling I sat up, the action took little effort despite my sore muscles and I clapped a hand over my mouth to hold in a laugh. I'd done it!

I looked down again at the disk in my hand, a sharp throbbing pain on the back of my neck brought it all back to me and made me gag. I dropped the mind control device as though it had burned me. Scrambling upright I lifted my foot and brought it sharply down on the offending item. Despite my bare feet the force of my blow made it crack with a satisfying crunching sound. Never, never, ever again. I would die first. I kicked the broken shards away from me with a sneer.

When I placed weight on my foot pain radiated from it and I staggered slightly, leaning against the small table to steady myself. Stupid, I couldn't afford to be slowed down any more than I already had been. I hadn't expected to take so long to recover from removing the mind control device, how much time had passed while I was lying on the floor? Panic started to creep in, if I'd been out of it for too long everything would be for nothing. Sensei would be coming back in the morning and if she caught me she'd have the device put back in. Game over. No, not gonna happen. I reached the door in two steps, doing my best to ignore the wound on my foot, and reached an arm through the bars to slide the bolt free that latched it closed on the other side. I held my breath until it opened then wasted no time slipping through, making my way easily in the dark. It was even darker here away from the sky lights but I could still see perfectly. I moved quickly and stayed alert but thankfully the hallway was clear.

The way out was to the right, it lead out of the belly of the church and into the main reception hall. From there I would just need to find an exit and I would be free. I could feel the promise of escape pulling at me but there was something I had to do first, so I turned left and went a little further down the corridor to the next cell. Like mine it was carpeted and furnished. I pressed my face to the bars and looked at the small bed that was pushed against the far wall. His back was to me, broad shoulders only partially covered by the blanket. Tousled blond hair shone in the moonlight, I was in the right place. As silently as I could I slipped the bar free and swung the door open. A few steps later and I placed my hand on his shoulder, his skin warm through the white cotton shirt he wore. "Kin." No response. I shook his shoulder and called his name again softly, pulling at him so that he turned and flopped onto his back. His dark lashes fluttered against his cheeks for a moment then opened. I searched his golden eyes with my own but there was nothing, no recognition. "C'mon, sit up." I kept tugging at him, pulling at his shoulders until he was finally upright. I cupped his face in my hands, his stubble prickling at my palms, and lifted his face to mine to search his eyes again. "I want to take you with me Kin but you've got to help me."

My chest tightened when he still didn't respond. Tears stung at the back of my eyelids, I couldn't just leave him here. We had been in this together from the start although I didn't remember much of it, just flashes of his face, the feeling of him by my side. It was unlikely that we'd ever even spoken to each other but I knew we had barely spent any time apart. I dropped to a crouch in front of him and brushed a golden piece of hair from his forehead, smoothing it back then running my fingertips to the back of his neck. The familiar shape of the Krang mind control device was there welded into his skin. Unlike mine it was fused tightly with no wriggle room. I gripped it with my fingertips and gave it a gentle tug, testing it's hold. One of Kin's hands suddenly gripped my forearm startling me. My eyes shot back to his and in the golden depths I was sure I saw a flash of something. "Kin?"

_Yai yai_

My blood ran cold and my head whipped around to the cell's doorway. While I'd been distracted with Kin one of the robots I had heard while lying in my own cell had snuck up on me and now stood squarely between us and escape. It was shaped like a man, dressed all in black including a black balaclava over it's face. Where it's eyes should have been were two bulbous ovals that were segmented into hexagons like those of a fly. As I watched they glowed red as if scanning us. The robot advanced into the cell, one skinny arm reaching for me. In a panic I whirled from Kin and grabbed the robots wrist, with all my strength I twisted and hurled it at the wall. It connected head first with a crunch, neck twisted at an odd angle as a few pink sparks fizzed and spat. Holy crap, I held up both my hands to look at them in amazement, did I do that? No time. I reached back and grabbed Kin by the hand, lacing my fingers through his and tugging him up from the bed. He rose obediently and followed in my wake as I dragged him through the door and into the corridor.

Our bare feet slapped against the cold stone floor as I struggled along with Kin. He was taller than me, my head only came up to his chin, and while he didn't actively resist me he wasn't helping either. It was like trying to drag a huge reluctant toddler along. "C'mon Kin!" I hissed in frustration. I tugged again and let out a yelp when Kin suddenly tugged back causing me to stumble. I looked back at him in confusion only to see that his upper chest now had skinny black arms twining around it from behind, holding him and pulling him backwards. Over his left shoulder glowing red eyes appeared.

_Yai yai_

Oh shit, more of them were coming up the darkened hallway from behind us. The first robot must have let off an alarm or something before I threw it into the wall. It had alerted more of them, they made mechanical swishing sounds as they moved quickly towards us. In fright I pulled harder at Kin's arm, tightening my grip on his hand. "Let him go!" Mechanical fingers clawed at me, wrapping themselves around my arms and legs and pulling me down. I lost my hold on Kin and watched as he disappeared back into a seething mass of black. The robots were filling up the corridor, there were too many of them.

Something tangled in my hair and my head was pulled painfully backwards. My heart pounded in my throat and panic seized my lungs, they were winning, I couldn't fight them all off. They were going to drag me back into the cell. I struggled and fought as they piled their weight on top of me, I screamed at them as I tried to escape, I did not get this far just to get stopped now. A red haze drifted over my eyes as pain coursed through my body. I felt the pop of my joints and tearing of my muscles even as the clothes I was wearing tightened painfully on my body then released with a ripping sound. Snarling and twisting beneath them on the floor I managed to bring myself onto all fours. With a roar I lashed out with claws and teeth, they parted before me as I ripped through them in a frenzy, all I could see was black cloth and metal as I attacked. Dimly I was aware of an alarm beginning to blare but all I could focus on was getting away.

Suddenly an opening appeared before me and I took it, dodging the cold grip of metal fingers which still sought to slow me down. I reached the end of the corridor and shot from the darkness, dodging around the grey throne, clearing the steps leading down from the dais in one leap and speeding towards the doors with the robots hot on my heels. I raced along the centre path that ran between the smooth glass panels over clear water then hit the door at a full sprint and bounced straight back off it. In a panic I scrambled up and stupidly tried again, so terrified it didn't occur to me you needed thumbs to open a door.

_Yai yai_

I whirled around and came face to face with the robots. There were too many of them.

"Sumi!"

That voice, I had to get away before she got me. Moonlight beckoned me, slanting down from the high windows that lined the upper walls. Through them I could see a cloudy night sky turned a sickly shade of orange by the city lights. Speckles of rain splattered the glass. Pushing my way through the throng of robots I caught a glimpse of panicked brown eyes as I leapt up, claws fighting for purchase on the rough brick until I reached the windows that looked out onto the lights of New York. I bashed myself against them until I was through then escaped out into the night with the sound of footsteps clost on my heels.

* * *

Cool rain pattered down on the city, transforming it with glittering drops that clung to every surface and reflected the light until everything shimmered beautifully. Donatello vaguely felt it dampening his mask and gathering on his skull until it ran in small rivulets down his cheeks and dripped from his beak but he ignored it, all his attention on the crumpled human form. Only before his wide eyes had the transformation taken place. He alone had been standing in the perfect position to see it all play out.

The mission for tonight had been to find mutagen and, just between him and Mikey, to search for Scarlett. After a few hours of nothing the mutagen tracker had begun going off again, eggbeaters whirring merrily as it led them over the rooftops towards the Shredders lair. Straight into the path of the giant leopard and a whole bunch of Footbots. Raph had been beyond excited to finally, finally find one of the mutated animals again and had leapt to intercept them weapons first, crowing something about fist candy. The rest of the turtles were close behind him, cutting off the mutants escape and cornering it on a small rooftop. First to go were the robots, about a dozen of them dispatched easily, then just the leopard was left.

After a few minutes of heated battle Leonardo and Mikey had timed a perfect double blow that sent the creature flying in a wild tangle of hissing, flailing claws and snapping fangs only to fall silent as it slammed into the wall and slid down behind the metal casing of an air-conditioning conduit. In the silence that followed the turtles had remained tense, ready, not noticing that their middle brother stood gaping at the narrow space only he could see into.

Black fur retreated until pale skin glowed in the darkness. Long dark hair now spilled over a smooth bare shoulder in a wild tangle that left the curve of one cheek visible as it morphed to that of a human girl. Finally her body stilled as it finished contorting and contracting, transformation complete there was no further movement from the now naked human. One arm stretched out towards him, her head resting on her bicep as she lay on her side. Thankfully she was positioned in such a way that most of her private parts remained that way but he had to work hard not to stare at the curve of a breast.

Hesitantly Donny crept forward towards the space with his bo held out before him, he clenched his jaw and tried to think. His mind whirled as pieces of the puzzle began to slot together.

"Is it dead?" Mikey's voice startled him so bad he jumped in surprise which drew a raised eye ridge from Leo.

"It's..." he gestured vaguely towards the space they couldn't see, cheeks heating as he tried to get the words out. "It's..."

"It's what?" Raph questioned roughly in exasperation. "It's dead?" He went to move forward and Donatello immediately flung a hand out palm first.

"It's Scarlett!"

A few beats of silence then..."_What_?" Mikey's voice probably only needed to be a few notches higher before dogs had the sole privilege of being able to hear him. "Just..._what_? We found her? Dude that's _fantastic_!"

He was on the move to see for himself, closely followed by Leo and Raph, when Donny blurted desperately. "NO!" It wasn't so much the yelling that stopped them dead in their tracks as the panicked look on his face. "She's...naked."

Leo's eye ridges rose to impressive heights while Raph and Mikey exchanged a look. "Who's what now?" their leader spoke as if he suspected that Donny was losing his marbles.

"It's Scarlett. First it was the leopard and now it's Scarlett. Naked." Donny shifted his feet and gestured towards the rear of the air-conditioning unit while rolling his eyes to the heavens.

"How exactly is that possible?" Raph squinted at Donny closely. "How has a mutant leopard just turned into Scarlett, the crazy chick who attacked us last night?"

"I don't know how." Donny said helplessly. "But I'm telling you I just watched it happen and now there she is." He gestured again. "Naked."

Mikey was the first to accept the news, taking it in his stride by rolling his eyes. "Jeez dudes, we're naked all the time. Relax." The youngest turtle walked off back the way they'd come leaving two spluttering brothers behind.

"It's not the same thing _Mikey_!" Donny protested. "We have shells and our...stuff...is on the inside."

"Yeah, gotta agree with Donny on this one." Leo crossed his arms over his plastron as he called out after Michelangelo's retreating form. "Humans are very reliant on their clothes and _what_ are you doing?"

Mikey returned the group with an armful of white cloth. "We passed a clothes line in the alley just back there." He made his way towards the place where Scarlett was lying as he shook it out and held it before him as a barrier. When he reached the air conditioning vent he tossed it into the narrow space then came around to the side where Donny was standing and shouldered him out of the way. The other three watched fascinated as he half disappeared from view then, after some scuffling, reemerged with a wrapped bundle in his arms and a big grin on his face. "Nailed it."

Raph made a choked noise and looked like he'd swallowed his tongue.

"What?" Mikey asked confused.

"Ah, never mind." Donny shot Raph a dirty look then moved forward to inspect the unconscious girl in Mikey's arms, much more comfortable now she was covered up. Reaching out he started by brushing the hair back from her face. "I can't believe we actually found her." He muttered to his little brother who grinned in reply.

"Yep, that's her." Leo came to stand beside Donny. "So all this time she's been with the Krang? Doing what, getting mutated?" He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.

Mikey shifted Scarlett in his arms as he frowned in thought. "Let me get this straight, all this time the animals were the kids and the kids were the animals? We were fighting with the same things each time?" He looked over to Donny. "Woah."

"That's certainly what it looks like," Donatello agreed "I saw her transform with my own eyes. The question is how did this come to happen? Last time we saw her she was trying to get her brother away from the Purple Dragons, why would she go to the Krang? And those were Karai's Footbots following her, what's that about?"

"Maybe she volunteered to be experimented on like the Pulveriser did?" Leo suggested. "Just that this time it worked and didn't turn her into a blob with eyes on stalks."

"No it didn't, instead it turned her into some kind of shifter. This is fascinating." At the awed tone in Donny's voice Raph narrowed his eyes at his brother and watched him closely as he began running his hands over Scarlett's scalp to check for injuries.

"Oh no, I know that look." Raph exclaimed angrily and turned to Leo for back up, quickly deflating as he first got a good look at their leaders 'heroic' face, then Mikey's puppy dog eyes. "We're taking her to the lair again aren't we?"

"We are if we want to treat this." Donny said, drawing their attention back to the unconscious girl. He lifted her hair to one side and gently tilted her head so they could see the back of her neck.

"What the heck is that?" Leo frowned and moved closer to get a look at the angry red wound which was still weeping blood in a steady trickle.

"My guess?" Donny let her hair fall back into place then gently resettled her head into the crook of Mikey's elbow. "She had a Krang mind control device there. Someone has ripped it out very recently."

"I knew it!" Mikey crowed. "I knew it you guys, I told you she wasn't acting like herself. It's like Mr O'Neil all over again!"

"That does explain last night," Leo agreed "plus she's pretty banged up. Donny should probably have a look at her injuries." He shot a look at Raph and said pointedly "I want to hear her story. I'm guessing she's going to have some pretty interesting things to tell us about what happened to her."

Raph gave a defeated sigh, rolling his eyes as he turned away from Leo and glared at his youngest brothers "Fine, I'm outnumbered again, but you two dorks are explaining this to Splinter."


	13. Reunion

_Hi everyone, I've finished report writing season for the semester but sadly it means I haven't had as much time for my own writing. I've caught up to all my pre-written chapters and so this one was rushed and hence a little late. I've also lost my reading glasses, not a big deal but my eyes get tired so please let me know if you see any mistakes!_

_Thank you to my new followers :) i do love reviews but seeing new people liking and following my story is just as awesome._

_BubbleEwa - I'm glad you are excited, it's only taken about 10 chapters for Scarlett to be back with the turtles lol. I have plans for the other mutants to pop up in the story and am happy to hear any story suggestions._

_Tootsie - you are sweet thank you! I went back through my story last week with a critical eye and still feel very lucky that people like reading it. I will keep doing my best xo_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

"That's what life is. It's a series of rooms. And who we get stuck in those rooms with adds up to what our lives are." - Eve (House MD 'One Day, One Room')

* * *

"I don't know guys." Mikey gathered Scarlett a little closer to his chest, watching as Donatello piled a few blankets onto the exam table to make it more comfortable. "It doesn't seem right to tie her up." No sooner had the brothers gotten back to the lair than Raphael insisted they take Scarlett straight to Donny's lab to find a way to keep her restrained. The others had agreed and so Mikey was outnumbered. If left to him he would have put her on the couch like last time he'd carried her home but that was about six months ago and a whole lot had happened since then.

Leo eyed his little brother sternly. "This is non negotiable Mikey, it's a condition of her being here that she is chained up until we make sure she can be trusted. You saw what she can do, we can't risk her attacking us again."

"But _look_ at her," he used his chin to motion to the girl in his arms "she's so peaceful looking." With twin incredulous looks Donny and Leo glanced at each other then dutifully followed Mikey's gaze to Scarlett's face which was all that was visible from underneath the now dirty bed sheet. Even unconscious her brow was furrowed into a frown and added to that there was the dirt, blood and bruises. Her head lolled on the youngest turtle's bicep, mouth hanging partially open as she drooled slightly, one wickedly sharp canine on display. She looked like a murder victim...or the murderer.

Donny cleared his throat to answer but was interrupted as Raph stomped back over to the table. "Do we even need to remind you of what happened with Leatherhead?" Metal clanged loudly as the red banded turtle dumped the chains on the floor next to the bed. "You kept telling us he was fine and look what happened there." He stabbed an accusing finger towards Mikey who took a protective step backwards.

"He _was_ fine." Mikey said exasperated. "He was like a giant teddy bear."

"Tell that to my face." Donny scoffed loudly as he began untangling the chains.

"Tell that to your teddy bear." Leo added dryly.

"Well you guys are the ones who kept saying the word _Krang_ around him all the time what did you expect?"

"Regardless," Leo stepped in firmly "the chains are going on until we can talk to her."

"Fine," Mikey grumbled as he gently lay the unconscious girl on the bed, making sure the sheet stayed wrapped around her body "but I'm staying here until she wakes up."

"Oh no you're not." Raph narrowed his eyes. "You're coming to find Master Splinter with me. No way am I explaining all this by myself."

"Everyone goes." Leo cut off Mikey's protest quickly. "We good here Donny?"

Donatello grunted an affirmation as he snapped a cuff onto Scarlett's right wrist then fed the attached chain under the table and through the metal loop welded there so he could fix the other cuff to her left wrist. "There, that should hold her." He stepped back and swept a critical eye over the unconscious girl. "Those chains were strong enough for Leatherhead so they should be able to hold her when she regains consciousness." Donny caught sight of his little brother's worried look and his gaze softened as he lay a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "She'll be ok. Hopefully we can take them off shortly after she wakes up." At this Mikey's expression brightened.

"C'mon, let's go tell Master Splinter about Scarlett then you can come back and sit with her until she wakes up." Leo turned on his heel and led the way out of the lab.

* * *

I cracked my eyelids open with great effort, groaned then closed them again. It was too damn bright in here. I felt like I'd been hit by a bus, everything hurt from my feet to the top of my head. The side of my face ached along my cheekbone and, from the feel of my side as I took a shallow breath, my ribs were bruised if not broken. The back of my neck hurt, my feet hurt, everything hurt. The last thing I remembered was running from Sensei, I'd been using the rooftops to try to escape but the robot ninja's had stayed hard on my tail, literally. Then...then things got blurry.

A flash of pain seared across my stomach as I shifted slightly, I tried to raise a hand to it and frowned in confusion when my wrist felt heavy with a foreign weight and metal jangled loudly. "What…? I groggily lifted my head to peer at my right arm and saw that it had been shackled, as I brought my hand up further I felt resistance then an answering tug on my other wrist. Another cuff weighed my left hand down. Experimentally I brought both my hands together in front of me and found I couldn't quite touch my shaking fingertips together. The chain ran underneath the table I was lying on, preventing me from rising but otherwise allowing me to use one hand at a time. My heart started to pound in my chest, I'd been caught again. I took a deep breathe in through my nose and blew it out slowly, the ache in my head receded a little. I needed to stay calm, I was trapped but panicking would achieve nothing. I just had to escape...again.

A quick scan told me I was in a room I'd never seen before. It was a big open space that looked like a cross between a lab and a mechanics workshop. Beakers, bunsen burners, computer screens and microscopes littered amongst tools, welding gear and circuitboards. Posters covered the walls in an eye watering mix of colours and images. Amongst it all I recognised the periodic table, various blueprints for different machines and a 'hang in there kitty' picture. There was also a collection of vehicles. Off to my left there were a few serious looking go-karts scattered around, a motorbike with a bright red tank and, further away in the darkness beyond the pool of light I was lying in, I could make out the looming hulk of a large van or truck.

My observation of the room was cut short when I heard a soft splashing sound coming from behind me, wincing in pain I twisted my neck to see and felt the colour drain from my face. Two heavily lashed eyeballs on stalks blinked back at me, the monster that floated in the transparent green goo watching me curiously as our gazes met. Exposed lungs, stomach and heart pulsated sickeningly as a pair of thick red lips opened and closed soundlessly from it's glass prison and I realised it was trying to talk to me. I recognised the glass containment chamber immediately, apart from it's smaller scale it was identical the one I had been trapped in for weeks on end after my mutation. Bile rose in my throat, holy shit, I'd been caught by one of the scientists again. I let out a scream of horror and the thing floating in the tube recoiled in a swirl of green bubbles as it screamed silently back at me.

The chains holding me down rattled again loudly as I tried to pull myself free from the exam table. Harsh gasps rang in my ears as I struggled, tugging at the cuffs one at a time then pulling my arms sharply upward. The metal bit painfully into my wrists but didn't give way. I could feel my control slipping, the tenuous hold over my rising panic giving way like a dam cracking. I tried again and again, each time harder, _desperate_ mewling sounds started to escape from my mouth as I struggled. I have to get these off, I can't do this again, I can't handle being a prisoner again, experimented on, given back to _her_. Tears began to leak from the corner of my eyes, blurring my vision as I strained as hard as I could. It's no use. The dam breaks, I take a deep breath and I _scream_.

* * *

"Master Splinter!"

Raphael's voice cut through the lair and permeated the sanctuary of Splinter's room through the thin paper screens, making the mutant rat sigh in resignation. From the gleeful edge he could hear in his second oldest sons voice he was about to be informed of some misadventure one of the other teenagers had gotten themselves into. Michelangelo would be his first guess however considering the eagerness he could sense in Raphael's tone it could very well be Leonardo who had misstepped. Uncommon but not unheard of and his hot tempered son did tend to revel in the mistakes of his older brother.

With a heavy sigh Splinter resurfaced completely from his meditation and opened his eyes. His room glowed softly, bathed in yellow light from the candles he had lit earlier, their burnt wicks and melted wax told him it had been three hours since he had entered his trance and therefor was around four in the morning. He smoothly rose to his feet, extinguishing the flames as he passed and slipping from his private quarters into the dojo to wait for his sons to find him. It was unlike any of his boys to come...what was the phrase Michelangelo used...dobbing when there was a problem. Often they chose to deal with it by themselves rather than run the risk that their father would forbid them to go to the surface again if they revealed the full extent of the dangers they faced on a regular basis. He largely allowed them the freedom to sort out their issues amongst themselves, trusting that they would come together as a team to solve problems and only call on him when they truly needed his guidance. He did find it amusing that they thought he was completely in the dark when it came to all the goings on both in and outside of the lair. There was little that happened in his son's lives he did not know about. Just because he spent much of his time in his room or the dojo did not mean his senses stopped at their threshold, but he didn't feel the need to correct their assumptions.

"Master Splinter!" Raphael entered the dojo with his brothers trailing behind him, a triumphant smirk twisted his lips as he saw their father standing under the branches of the tree waiting for them with his paws tucked neatly into his sleeves. Leonardo met his sensei's gaze steadily from behind his shorter brother's shoulder, chin raised a little in a small show of stubbornness but otherwise calm. Donatello and Michelangelo however appeared nervous, both glanced nervously around the room and, while his youngest son tried to hide behind a contrived innocent smile, his brainy child clutched at the strap running across his chest and chewed on his lip. Splinter stroked his thin goatee thoughtfully as he subtly sniffed at the air and twitched his ears. Tiny scents reached his sensitive nose, blood, sweat, dirt and the odour of a human girl, altered slightly but still familiar. Though he had never met her he recognised her distinct smell from her visit to the lair many months ago. He immediately narrowed his eyes on the two youngest turtles.

"It appears your guest has returned."

"Wha..." Raphael's delighted expression dropped comically and the old rat suppressed a smile. Obviously his hot headed son had been hoping for a more...explosive...reaction.

"You already know about Scarlett?" Leo's eyes widened as he shook his head slightly as his respect for his sensei climbed another impossible notch.

"Yes." Splinter responded simply.

"How?" Donatello's voice rose along with his eye ridges. "She has only been here five minutes."

Splinter met the purple banded turtles brown eyes and again suppressed a smile, adding a sharper edge to his stern tone as he deflected the question with one of his own. "Perhaps you should tell me how she was injured and why you have once again brought her to our secret lair when you have suspicions of her being a Purple Dragon."

A satisfied smile settled on Raph's face as he shot his brothers a smug look. Leonardo opened his mouth to reply but shut it again as he was jostled out of the way. "Oh she's totally not a Purple Dragon Master Splinter." Michelangelo corrected his father with a reassuring air as he moved forward.

"You don't know that." Raphael turned on his brother.

"She was being chased by Footbots!" Michelangelo took an angry step towards the red banded turtle.

"She was running _with_ the Footbots." Raphael insisted, taking an answering step forward.

"She had a Krang mind control device in her neck!"

"I didn't see one!"

"You saw the wound!"

"I think she _volunteered_!"

"Oh yeah? Well I think you..."

A scream ripped through the air causing the arguing turtles to snap their heads around in surprise. Michelangelo abandoned his verbal battle with Raphael and sprinted from the room.

* * *

Spots danced in front of my eyes and I panted a few times before taking a deep breath and hollering again as loudly as I could, all the time frantically pulling at the chains which clanged and added to the racket. Blood was beginning to fly in droplets from my fingertips, spattering the sheet I was wrapped in. My throat burned and my voice cracked as I screamed. Maybe someone would hear me outside this building, I had to be close to the street considering how many vehicles there were in here. "Help! Help me please!"

"Scarlett!"

My eyes flew open as a familiar voice undercut my cries. Blinking away tears and breathing heavily I tried to focus on the face hovering in front of me. Blue eyes watched me with a concerned expression from behind an orange mask. Gasping and trembling I stared at him in shock. He smiled reassuringly and reached a hand out to take one of mine. I shrieked and pulled away sharply. "Don't touch me!"

"What?" An expression of shock transformed his green face. "Scarlett, it's me, Mikey."

"Let me go!" I wailed as more tears tracked down my cheeks. "Let me _go_!"

"Scarlett," another familiar voice this time with a purple bandana "you have to calm down. You're hurting yourself." Donatello's face joins Mikey's with a matching worried expression. Cool hands gripped my shoulders trying to steady me and I twisted away sharply.

"Get off me!"

"Scarlett we're trying to help..."

"No you're not!" I screamed and kept thrashing. "No you're not! You were there, you were _there_ and you didn't help!" My leg lashes out, my foot catching something soft which causes someone to let out a curse. "You're going to take me back! You're one of them! _Let me go_!"

More voices join the first two, harsh and urgent.

"What the hell is wrong with her?"

"She's hysterical. We need to do something, calm her down."

I ignore them, their voices lost to a fog of panic as I scream and twist. The pain, the fear, the chains, the monster in a jar. My heart is trying to pound it's way out of my chest and suddenly I can't shout anymore because I'm fighting for air. I can't breathe. I feel my eyes bulging as I gasp noisily and the voices rise to replace my screams with urgent words I can't understand. Oh god, I'm dying.

Cool hands are brushing over my face, stroking my cheeks then moving to my throat as soft murmurs fill my ears. I thrash my head from side to side but they refuse to withdraw. Firm fingers press into the side of my neck and there is the sensation of falling, something in me releases and the weight is gone from my chest. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs then letting the air out on a sob. All my struggles have stopped, my muscles feel like lead and I can no longer lift my arms or legs from the table. All the aches that had been masked by my panic suddenly come rushing back, tears well in my eyes again as my head flops to the side. All the fight has left me, only defeat remains.

"Scarlett." Mikey's voice is gentle as he gathers me up, green arms encircling and holding me while I sob limply into his neck. "Everything is gonna be ok. I promise."

* * *

_A slightly shorter chapter than usual sorry, I will try to get the next one put together quickly. Have a great week xo_


	14. A Few Discoveries

_So I was supposed to be cleaning my house today but instead I was writing. Hope you all love this chapter as much as I do :) Its extra long to make up for the shortish one last time. _

_Tootsie7655 - Bwahahahha! Cliffhangers are the best! :) Thanks for the heads up on the typo in the last chapter, I haven't fixed it yet but I will get there xo_

_BubbleEwa - Yeah poor Scarlett doesn't know what to think, things get cleared up a little in this chapter though. Don't hate the turtles, they knew nothing :( Enjoy your holidays xo_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

The room was quiet apart from the muffled cries coming from Scarlett as she kept her face buried in Mikey's shoulder. She'd stopped resisting as soon as Master Splinter had pushed on the pressure point on the side of her neck that had acted as an off switch, her hands now hung limply by her hips on the white sheet, small blooms of blood spreading slowly outward. The youngest turtle kept his hands running up and down her back in a steady rhythm as he murmured soothingly, too troubled by the past ten minutes to notice the unusual feeling of smooth skin stretched tight over bumpy ribs and the slightly raised knobs of her spine. Finally her sobs tapered off, her shoulders stopped shaking and she took a last shuddering breath. Mikey kept up his slow stroking even as he let out a silent sigh of relief and raised his eyes to meet those of Donatello who let out his own breath as he ran his hands over the top of his head. Even Raph looked relieved as he turned to mouth 'wow' at Leo.

Splinter was the first to break the silence. He hadn't moved from his place next to the head of the exam table, simply tucked his paws back into the sleeves of his robe and watched with patient, kind eyes while Scarlett regained some of her composure. As she calmed he stepped forward and spoke softly. "I trust you are feeling a little better now?"

Everyone studied the back of Scarlett's head closely, she stayed huddled against Mikey's chest, face hidden in his neck and giving no indication she had heard their master's voice. The orange banded turtle continued running his hands up and down her back and whispered into her ear too low for anyone else to hear. After a long moment her hair shifted slightly as she gave a minute nod and whispered. "Yes."

"It is obvious that you have been through a harrowing ordeal, will you allow us to help you?" Master Splinter kept his voice calm and soothing.

In the stillness of the lab they heard her sniff wetly. There was another long pause then a small voice asking "Why have you chained me up?"

"We do not wish to harm you child, nor is it our intent to scare you. We simply need to protect ourselves." The giant rat broke off as her head turned. Scarlett kept her head resting on Mikey's shoulder, her ear never breaking contact with his green skin.

"Protect yourselves?" Her voice quavered. "What are you talking about? I'm the one who feels like every bone in my body is broken. I'm the one who's chained up. I've done nothing to any of you."

Raph's jaw dropped "Are you for real?" Her eyes sought out the source of the angry voice and her breath hitched at the mounting fury in his eyes. "Princess you and your buddies have been getting around New York for months attacking people. Attacking _us_."

"I...I didn't..It w-wasn't..."

* * *

My mouth refused to form words, Raph's green eyes bored into me and his words cut through me as he confirmed my worst fears. While I had been unaware my body had been being used. I felt so dirty. They could have made me do _anything_ with that mind control device. I shuddered as I broke eye contact and turned my face back into the crook of Mickey's neck, more tears slipped from my eyes. Under my ear I could hear the faint sound of his heart from beneath his chest plate and the feel of his hand stroking up and down my back was hypnotic. I focussed on the sound and sensation for a while, blocking out the voices that continued in angry low tones around me.

My eyelids were just starting to grow heavy when the hands left my back, the sheet I was wrapped in lifted and tightened around me before the hands returned, gripping my shoulders and pulling me away from Mikey's shoulder. My head flopped down until my chin rested practically on my chest, I barely even had the strength to sit up. "Scarlett?" I lifted my eyes, it was all I could manage, and met Mikey's gaze from under my bangs. His eyes widened a little as they met mine. "Cool." He whispered. I frowned in confusion but he just smiled reassuringly and started turning my shoulders until the rest of me had to follow and I ended up sitting on the side of the exam table with my bare legs dangling over the sides. Mikey's arm stayed around my shoulders propping me up, my right side was pressed snugly against him and the heat from his body was comforting.

"Ok," Donatello appeared before me, brown eyes cautious "I need to take your cuffs off now so I can stop the bleeding from your wrists."

I focussed my gaze on my hands and saw that they were covered in a mix of fresh and dried blood. Nodding tiredly I didn't even have the energy to raise the cuffs from my lap "Aren't you worried I will attack you?" I tried to inject sarcasm into my voice but I don't think it worked with my throat so raw and raspy.

Donny's mouth quirked "A little, you gave me a pretty serious kick to the head a few nights ago. Master Splinter says that the nerve he pinched in your neck will keep your muscles relaxed for another hour at least but just...stay calm ok?"

"Master Splinter?" I scanned the room but I didn't see anyone besides Donny, Leo and Raph. The two older brothers were a few steps away watching me closely. Raph's eyes were hard, despite learning back against a desk with his arms crossed he gave the impression of being ready to spring forward at any moment.

Donatello approached me with a small key pinched delicately between his large fingers. "Yeah, he's just gone to meditate, he always does that when he needs to think. He's not too far away though." I watched his fingers as he deftly undid first one cuff then the other, blinking hard at the relief that swamped me as I was released from captivity.

From the corner of my eye I saw Raph and Leo tense slightly. At the same time Mikey tightened his grip around my shoulders while Donny stepped back with his hands out in a non threatening gesture. The seconds ticked by with nobody moving and in the face of so much tension a bizarre almost giddy feeling took hold of me. Without thinking I said "Boo!" loudly. In the blink of an eye Raph and Leo had weapons half drawn and had taken a step forward, eyes white and narrowed. Donatello fell backwards with a squeak while Mikey threw an arm up towards his brothers, palm out.

"She's _kidding_!" the youngest turtles voice was high and strained. The air in the room hovered on the brink for a moment as everyone poised a hair away from erupting, then it collapsed when Mikey let out a loud snort of laughter. "Oh my god, you should see your faces." he gasped as his shoulders began shaking with laughter.

"Not cool Scarlet." Leo shook his head as he released his grip on his swords. He shoved at Raph's shoulder, the red banded turtle glared harder at me before spinning his sai's and stabbing them back into his belt.

"You got a death wish kid?" He growled angrily. He settled back to lean against the table once more, arms crossed over his chest again with an annoyed air.

Donatello cleared his throat with an embarrassed cough and came forward again, this time with some bandages and other medical supplies in his hands. He dropped them on the bed beside my left hip then gently gripped one of my wrists to get a closer look at it. "Brat." He muttered under his breath.

The feeling in the room relaxed significantly as he began cleaning my wounds, Mikey's giggles tapering off while Leo grabbed the chair beside the bed and sat on it backwards so he was just below my eye level. "Can you tell us what happened?"

The small spark of humour which had prompted my joke dissipated immediately. I could feel my expression shutting down again. Mikey sobered instantly and rubbed a reassuring hand up and down my left arm. I watched the top of Donny's green head as he bent over my wrists, tutting as he gently cleaned the grazes and gouges where the metal edge of the cuff had dug in as I'd tried to get away. The pile of blood soaked cotton buds grew in the bin by his feet, crusted blood was wiped away to reveal torn and broken skin.

A gentle nudge against my side made me realise I hadn't answered Leo's question. I blinked at the blue banded turtle slowly and thought again about how tired I was. Whatever Master Splinter had done to me certainly ensured they didn't need the chains anymore. Donny finished slathering a cream over the scrapes then started wrapping bandages around my wrists. The pain was so dulled it was nearly non existent. I wondered if it would come back later?

"Maybe now isn't the best time?" Mikey's voice brought me back. I'd drifted off again.

"Leo left me at the clubhouse." I said as I watched Donny secure the last bandage in place. Immediately the feel of the room changed again to one of expectancy. I knew somehow that now was probably the best time to tell them what had happened while I was still feeling numb both inside and out. I was in a bubble of suspended animation and a part of me recognised that when it burst I probably wouldn't have the strength to talk about it. If I didn't tell them about it right now there was a good chance they would still think I was a threat. They would put the cuffs back on or lock me up. I had to get it out now.

I kept my eyes down and started talking. In my own ears I sounded like a robot, the words coming out flat and emotionless. "I went back to get my board and to find Hayden but he wasn't there, the whole place had been cleared out. While I was looking around Xever came back with a guy I'd never seen before called Bradford. I tried...I tried to run but they c-caught me." When I stuttered Mikey gave me a squeeze. I paused as Donny dipped another cotton ball in some kind of sterilised solution and began dabbing at the sore spot over my cheekbone.

I focussed on the turtles brown eyes as he squinted in concentration just to the left of my gaze. "They took me to TCRI, that big white tower, and handed me over to a bunch of scientists. They d-drugged me and p-put me in a glass t-tube like that one but bigger," I waved a hand towards the glass cylinder, Donatello's eyes flicked to the right then met mine again with a sad expression "they poured green stuff all...all over m-me. It hurt so bad."

"That's how you got mutated with leopard DNA, you didn't volunteer?"

I looked at Leonardo in horror at his question. "Why would I volunteer?"

The eldest turtle stabbed a thumb towards the floating organs in the green goo that had sparked my break down earlier. "That's Timothy, otherwise known as 'The Pulveriser', he got like that trying to help us infiltrate the Foot Clan." The mutant in question stared back at us forlornly from his glass tube.

"I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen." Donatello's voice was heavily laced with guilt. "I'm trying to help him but it's taking time."

"Oh," I glanced at Donny then back at my lap "when I woke up and saw him I thought I'd been caught by the scientists again, that I was back in their lab where they do their experiments."

"Nope, just us." Mikey's voice was light as he squeezed me once more.

"Can you tell us what happened next?" Leo prompted.

"Well, the rest is a bit fuzzy. I don't even know how long it's been since that day." I reached a hand up and rubbed at the back of my neck gingerly, wincing as my fingers found the wound there. "They put something in the back of my neck which gave them control over my body. It took them a while to perfect it and for a while we were in a different underground lab," I avoided looking at Donny as I said the last part, still not sure what to make of my time in the Krang cells "but once they did everything from then on is a total blank apart from the occasional flash."

"How did you get it out?" Donny walked behind the table and I felt my hair being moved to one side. His fingers gently probed the area. "This wound in looking angry, it really needs cleaning too." he muttered and came back around to grab his supplies.

"I don't know how it happened," I lifted a shoulder in a tired shrug "everything was dark, I knew time was passing but it's like I was drifting in a big black sea of nothing. Then there was pain and I was awake again in a cell. The thing in the back of my neck was still there but it had been knocked loose somehow, it had stopped working properly." My eyes glazed over as I thought back to everything that had happened in the last few days and led me to here. "There was a girl, I called her sensei, she controlled me using the thing in my neck. I waited until she left me in my cell and I ripped it out." My voice was starting to break again as the memories began dragging me back out of that emotionless void I'd been safe inside. "There was another boy called Kin, I tried to get him out too but I had to leave him there when the black robots c-came." Tears gathered in my eyes again. I was so sick of crying! I scrubbed at my face.

"Black robots? That sounds an awful lot like Foot Bots were chasing you." Mikey's voice had an edge to it as he shot a glare at Raph.

* * *

Raph rolled his eyes at his little brother but refrained from answering. Truth was he was starting to feel a bit bad for giving Scarlett such a hard time. If she'd been faking the last hour since she'd woken up then the girl deserved an oscar. The complete freak out, listening to her cry, hearing her talk about what had happened to her in that cold dead voice. All of it had given him goosebumps. Sounded like the kid had been through hell, part of him even felt guilty that he was the one who had driven her out of the lair six months ago straight into the path of Xever and Bradford. He pushed the feeling away and scowled, how was he supposed to know she would get taken and mutated? It wasn't his fault, he was doing his best to protect his family.

He sighed as he watched the other three fawning over the girl, Mikey especially was completely taken with her, the numbskull. It was as if Raph was the only one who had listened to Master Splinter's lectures about going topside and what would happen should their mutant family ever be discovered by humans. The other's just didn't get it, but Raph was haunted by visions of worst case scenarios. He had to protect them even from themselves, they were far too trusting. Even Leo wasn't immune to humans and their drama, he'd been suckered in by Karai thanks to some heroic desire to save her from herself. Scarlett may or may not be a Purple Dragon like her brother, but she was till a human...or at least human enough to be a threat...and that was plenty for Raph to need a lot more convincing that she could be trusted.

Donny was rummaging around in his first aid kit when he looked up and caught sight of Raph. "Hey Raphael, could you see if there are any tweezers on the bench behind you? Scarlett has some gravel embedded in her knee I need to get out."

"Fine." With a grunt Raph shifted and looked behind him. The desk he was leaning on was cluttered with so much junk it was no wonder Donny was having trouble finding stuff. The brainiac had so many projects on the go at once Raph had no idea how he kept it all straight in his head. He scanned the mess for a few moments before he spotted the tweezers lying next to a magnifying glass mounted on a metal arm that had an attached lamp. He started to reach for them when he noticed that lying underneath the lamp was a small metal disk with a sharp spike protruding from one side and a red light on the other. He picked it up and looked at it curiously, turning it over on his palm. His brow ridge quirked in recognition as he realised what he was holding. It was the mind control device they had removed from Mr O'Neil a few months back, his brainy brother must have been using the tweezers to look at it. No doubt trying to work out how he could adapt the technology or something.

Turning back to his brothers with the device folded into his palm he found Donatello a few steps behind him with an impatient look on his face. "Did you find it or not?"

"Yeah I found it." Raph bristled at Donny's tone. "Not that it was easy amongst all your crap." He held up the tweezers and allowed his brother to swipe them from his grip. He trailed after Donny as he walked back to Scarlett, coming to a stop beside Leo who was still sitting backwards on the chair facing the girl. Rolling the metal disk between his fingers thoughtfully he watched as Donny began picking gravel out of her knee. She kept her face turned down, her whole body slumping into Mikey as if he were the only thing holding her up. She looked deceptively small wrapped in the dirty white sheet, Raph reminded himself sternly that only last night she had been an enormous mutant leopard. And the night before that she had kicked all their butts in her human form without breaking a sweat. Lucky for her she'd caught him by surprise otherwise he would have finished her off without hesitation. He gritted his teeth as he remembered the way she'd laid Donny out cold like it was nothing then nearly taken Leo's head clean off his shoulders. She'd been advancing on Mikey, no stalking him was more accurate, and if he hadn't gotten there in time...

"I found something else as well." Raph broke the silence loudly. Heads turned to look at him curiously as he held up the mind control device in his hand. "Figured it might be useful too."

As soon as her eyes fell on the device the effect on Scarlett was immediate. Her face totally drained of colour, mouth falling open in shock as her eyes grew to the size of saucers. The look that came over her was one of abject terror and Raph felt a flash of remorse for a brief moment before his purple banded brother rounded on him angrily, causing his defences to slam back up again.

"_What_?" Donatello's voice was high pitched and disbelieving.

Raph met his incredulous gaze with a cocked eye ridge and half smirk. "Yeah, I figure with this we will have a fall back plan in case she decides to go all feral on us. She goes hulk and we'll have total control." He tossed the Krang device casually into the air and caught it again. "Better safe than sorry."

Scarlett launched herself off the exam table without taking her eyes from the mind control device, ripping away from Mikey in the process who barely seemed to notice as he stared at his brother in growing anger. "What the hell man?" Michelangelo hissed. "That isn't funny Raph!"

"Ok ok, fine." Raphael's smirk dropped as he shrugged and flung an arm towards Scarlett who was back peddling away from them frantically with her hands held out as if to ward them off. Leo had leapt from his chair and was holding his own hands out comfortingly as he followed her. "But not only has she been practically raised by the Purple Dragons, her brother being a card carrying member, but now we find out she's been mutated then trained by the Foot and Krang!" His voice hardened further as a frown gripped his face. "How much is it gonna take for you morons to realise how bad an idea this is?"

"Uh guys?"

"Scarlett needs our help Raph, she's been traumatised! She didn't ask for this!" Donny's voice rose along with his temper.

"So what? Neither did we and you don't see people falling over themselves to help us!" Raph's voice rose to match Donny's. "She can find some other schmucks to look after her!"

"Guys?"

Mikey advanced on his brother until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Donatello and glaring Raph down. "I don't believe you Raph, how could you be so cold dude?"

"Better than taking in every person I come across without knowing a thing about them Mikey. I don't know how many times I have to say this. She. Is. _Dangerous_!" Raph took a step forward and poked the youngest turtle in the plastron once before Mikey slapped him away forcefully.

"GUYS!" Leo bellowed from behind them.

"WHAT?!" the three swung around angrily in unison to glare at their eldest brother. Immediately their faces dropped when they saw what was going on behind him.

"You are definitely right about the dangerous part Raph." Leo's voice shook slightly as he inched backwards away from Scarlett who was currently huddled in a ball with her arms wrapped around her stomach, partially concealed behind a decapitated Metalhead as she rocked on her heels. She was already twice her normal size and growing, the sheet she was wrapped in unravelling slowly as she gasped then let out a half scream, half roar of pain that made chills run over the turtles flesh. Scraps of bandages burst from her wrists and fluttered to the floor at her feet.

"You've scared her again dude!" Mikey howled. He leapt behind Raph, using him as a shield and gaping in morbid fascination over his brother's shoulder. Scarlett's face turned towards them and they watched her features morph, nose flattening into a snout and amber eyes growing larger as the look of fear was replaced with one of feral fury.

"Holy crap!" Raph exclaimed, pushing Mikey further back behind him protectively as he grabbed his sai's from his belt and dropped to a defensive crouch. "I freakin _told_ you!"

As Scarlett opened her muzzle to scream again she revealed four huge, wickedly sharp fangs. Black fur, spotted and glossy, exploded from her skin and covered her nude form as the sheet fell away to the floor. Limbs audibly cracked and popped, re-forming until she was no longer human but once again the giant black leopard. For a moment she remained behind the headless robot which was now dwarfed by her size, tremors intermittently wracked her body as she rose to her full height. Then she padded purposefully around Metalhead, gaze fixed on the brothers as she snarled angrily and the turtles took a few nervous steps backwards. If there was any doubt that Scarlett and the black leopard they had fought on the street months ago were one and the same it was obliterated from their minds now.

"Do something Donny!" Leo's voice rose on an uncharacteristic desperate pitch. His katanas hissed as they slid free of their sheaths. Scarlett stalked forward slowly, glowing amber eyes holding them captive as she crossed the floor towards them. The four brothers watched transfixed while the mutant drew closer, towering over them as a low rumble rolled from her chest in a wave.

Reflexively Donny groped for his bo on his back and cursed as he came up empty. The movement drew Scarlett's attention for only a moment before she was fixated on Raphael again, the bunching in her hindquarters was his only warning before she launched herself at the red banded turtle with a roar. The other three brothers scattered, clearing a path for the giant cat in an effort to escape her slashing claws.

"_Master Splinter_!" Donatello hollered as he raced for the door to his lab and escaped into the main area of the lair. Mikey and Leo, having retreated to a safe distance, watched in awe as their brother in red was chased around Donny's work space by a very large, very angry mutant leopard. Mikey let out a gasp as Raph narrowly avoided being sliced by a gigantic paw tipped with razor sharp claws by dropping onto his shell then rolling to the side. As he came up again he brought his sai around in an arc aimed at the big cats neck but was halted mid swing by Mickeys cry of "DON'T HURT HER!" Awkwardly he stumbled a few steps and bounced off her side, forced to fling himself backwards again as she rounded her head to bite him.

"Don't hurt her? What the hell Mikey?" With a growl Raph sheathed his sai's as he swung around to make a run for the door, Scarlett hot on his heels. They burst out of Donny's lab in a green and black blur. Raph dove into the lounge pit and ducked just in time for Scarlett to go sailing over his head.

"_What is going on here_?" Master Splinters commanding voice cut through the lair. A resounding crash answered his question as Raphael knocked the t.v. over as he scrambled past. "Is that a _cat_?" A rarely heard note of unease crept into their masters voice as he gaped at the giant feline stalking his hot headed son. "Is that a _giant cat_?"

"It is Master Splinter," Donatello cringed and slapped a palm over his face "in all the excitement I forgot to tell you Scarlett has had her DNA spliced with a leopard by the Krang. Or the Foot Clan. The Purple Dragons are also involved but I doubt they have..."

"You forgot to tell me you brought a giant cat to our lair?" The giant rat's voice rose to a shout and his brainy son visibly wilted. Another crash and a shout of pain was followed by Mikey yelling "_Run faster Raph, she's got the taste for blood now_!"

"I am _so_ sorry master." Big brown eyes pled for forgiveness. "We thought it was the right thing to do."

"A little help please?" Raphael shrieked as he sped past them again. With a loud hiss Scarlett gathered herself for a powerful leap that looked like it would take her halfway across the lair.

"We _will_ discuss this further my son." Splinter snapped. Turning towards the two fighting mutants in his home he roared "_Yamete_!"

The effect on Scarlett was immediate. She stopped so suddenly her rump skidded along the smooth stone floor for a second, then she turned to face Splinter and dropped to her belly, pressing her muzzle to the floor as a whine escaped her throat. For a few seconds Raph didn't realise he was no longer being chased and made another half lap of the lair before noticing that his brothers were all gaping at the centre of the room not at him. He jogged to a stop, panting harshly with exertion and adrenalin as he followed their gazes. "That's it?" Raph looked at his sensei incredulously "You just yell 'stop' in Japanese and she obeys?"

"How did you know that would work Master Splinter?" Leonardo asked with wide eyes.

"I did not," the old rat admitted "but it seems it was the correct order to give."

In the lounge pit Scarlett was stirring from her submissive position, tail beginning to swish as her head lifted from the floor. Raph took a nervous step backwards but the leopard ignored them all, instead letting out a pained sounding growl as she began to shrink before their eyes.

"Michelangelo!" The youngest turtle jumped as Splinter barked his name.

"Hai Sensei?"

"There is a spare robe in my quarters, please go and retrieve it for our guest here. Quickly now." Mikey dashed from the room and returned in less than a minute with the robe clutched in his fist. He reached Scarlett and threw it over her as the black fur began receding beneath her skin. She was grunting in pain as her body regained its human shape, huddling on the floor and clutching at the robe so hard her knuckles were white.

Master Splinter turned to Raphael who was still panting with exertion, blood running down his arm in a red trail. "Donatello, please take Raphael and see to his injury."

Raphael straightened immediately, "I don't need..." A snapping glare from his father stopped the words in his throat.

"Hai Sensei!" Donatello made a hasty exit, snagging Raph on the way and dragging him towards his lab with an angrily muttered "C'mon."

"And you young lady," Splinter saved his sternest glare for Scarlett who met his gaze with tearstained cheeks "you need to learn to control yourself."

* * *

_AN: I had so much fun writing this! It was actually one of the first 'one shots' I came up with about a year ago and helped get me motivated to put my thought down on 'paper'. I pretty much re-wrote the whole thing but the gist of it stayed the same. I had to add a lot more internal dialogue to explain Raph's reasoning for how he treats Scarlett...I swear everything he does comes from a good place! Don't hate him too much BubbleEwa!_

_Now for the beginning of the next chapter, what do you guys think? Will she be angry? Remorseful? In shock? I'm not quite sure which way to go so if you want to make a suggestion now is the time!_


	15. I Can Stay?

_Wow, a three week delay! It's been a busy month (my sister had a baby girl yay!) and I've had a lot of trouble writing this part. Sadly I'm not sure if I can keep up with posting a new chapter every week like I was previously but I will do my very best!_

_Welcome to my new followers! So awesome to see new people along for the ride._

_BubbleEwa - glad you liked the "BOO!" last chapter, I threw it in at the last minute then had a good chuckle. I was a bit worried it would come off too goofy lol._

_Khan - thanks for your review! I've been slaving over this chapter all month but your message got me motivated today to get it finished. April is still mad at the guys for mutating her father and the turtles haven't met Casey yet at all but it will happen very soon. I'm glad you like Scarlett, me too! Raph has gone through 'denial', 'anger' and 'bargaining' and now is at acceptance with a bit of detachment. He's pretty much going to ignore Scarlett for a while and hope she goes away lol. No romance for anyone anytime soon but definitely plans for it in the future...bet you can't guess between who ;)_

_Sorry for any mistakes, I have literally been writing all day!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

"_Yamate_!"

Ow ow ow ow ow ow, FUCK! I try to hold back my grunts of pain but the feeling of my body reshaping it's self is too much. A few noises slip out and I bite down hard on my lip, clenching my newly reformed hands into fists on the hard concrete floor. The cold seeps into my knees. I become aware of cool eddies of air slipping over my skin and and squinch my eyes shut on a flash of embarrassment. Great, naked in a room full of people...mutants...just awesome. I start a little as something settles over my body, a robe, then grip it gratefully as the last tremors of pain wrack my body. Holy crap that had hurt. I fumble clumsily to thrust my arms into the robe, wrapping it tighter around me without looking up from the floor. My face is burning with mortification and returning anger.

"Donatello, please take Raphael and see to his injury." Master Splinters voice is calm enough but there is an edge to it that brooks no argument. I hear muttered complaining then "hai sensei" before footsteps retreat and the grating sound of a sliding door grinding on tracks signals that Donny's lab is closing up.

"And you young lady, you need to learn to control yourself." Clawed feet enter my field of vision, prompting me to finally lift my head. I sit up slowly onto my heels and scan the room. Raphael and Donatello have disappeared leaving Splinter with his remaining two sons. My gaze tracks up and up, taking in the rust red robe and impressive height, until I meet the narrowed eyes of the mutant rat. I narrow mine back as I awkwardly climb to my feet, even standing I have to crane my neck to meet his eyes. I cross my arms protectively over my chest and try not to shiver.

Master Splinters face remains fixed on me for a few long moments. I can feel him weighing, measuring and assessing everything about me. I clutched the robe even tighter while his eyes search mine as if he is looking for something, probing right into the core of me and making me feel exposed. I remember back to when Leonardo had made me feel the same way, just before he left me outside the abandoned Purple Dragon hideout. Finally I can't hold his gaze any more and my eyes dart away to look for Mikey. He is standing behind and slightly to the right of his master. Wide blue eyes meet mine, he quirks a smile at me and gives a reassuring nod.

Just seeing him there makes me feel a bit better but I remind myself of how I had woken up and grit my teeth. "Are you going to put the chains back on me?" I slide my eyes back to the rat and take a few steps backwards, widening the gap between us. "Because I'll fight you if you try." I try to inject as much venom into my voice as possible and, when Leo's eyes flicker with surprise, I figure I must do a good job. "I'd rather die." I spit the words out and lift my chin defiantly. From the corner of my eye I'm judging the distance between me and the turnstiles I'd left through last time I was here. I knew they led to the sewers and from there I could easily find my way to the surface.

Master Splinter's expression doesn't change, he strokes his thin goatee then inclines his head. "Very well, no chains. Anything else?"

I gape at him, my eyebrows rising in surprise. Not the response I was expecting...what had I been expecting? For them to have tried to grab me again by now I guess. I pause then square my shoulders. "Yeah actually." I sweep a look across all three of them. "That mind control device doesn't come anywhere near me again either. Raph waves that thing in my face one more time and he looses a limb." I snarl angrily not caring how the mutant will react to a direct threat to his son.

"Hmmmmm." A flash of...something...crosses the rat's face but is gone before I can identify it. "Reasonable requests." Splinter allows in a serious tone. "Is that all?"

"I guess." I reply slowly.

"Now that I have heard yours I would like to make my own. I ask that you join me in the kitchen." He motions with a hand towards the door that leads to that very place and I follow the movement, blinking in surprise. "I only wish to talk to you, discover the best way to go forward from here for all of us. I mean you no harm."

"Oh." My eyes flick between Splinter, the kitchen doorway and the turnstiles with the beckoning darkness beyond. I hesitate, torn by what to do. These guys had had me in chains not that long ago. Raph had threatened me with that device. I'd seen Donny walking around the Krang's underground research facility with an old red headed guy the day I'd nearly escaped with the giant newt. Part of me even wondered at the coincidence of Leo leaving me just before I'd been grabbed by Xever and Bradford. I look back to Splinter, he was watching me with his black eyes, still unreadable. I take a step in the direction of the turnstiles, mind mostly made up to make a break for it, then catch a movement behind and to the right of the giant rat. Mikey has taken a step forward too, eyes pleading.

"Scarlett don't," he reaches towards me with his odd, three fingered hand "don't run, please. We just want to help, I swear." His eyes catch mine and something there triggers a whole bunch of memories from when I'd been mind controlled. I was sure I'd seen those same eyes then too, heard him calling my name. When I woke up in Donny's lab he'd comforted me even though I'd screamed at him to go away. In a lair full of mutants he was the only one I trusted completely, and if he was ok then weren't the rest of his family maybe alright too? Well maybe except for Raph...

I look back to the dark tunnels again then down at myself. I didn't even have shoes or proper clothes to wear let alone cash, a phone, my skateboard. Where was I going to go? Who else would help me? Hayden? If there was even a slight chance that he was with the Purple Dragons I wasn't going any where near him in the foreseeable future, it was too risky. This family of turtles and their rat master could literally be my only option, although I had no idea why they would want to help me either. Especially after I had chased Raph around and tried to kill him. Thinking about that dickhead started making me angry all over again so I pushed it away, took a deep breath and looked back at Mikey. I gave him a nod and the relief on his face nearly blinded me, as did the massive smile that split his face.

"Ok," I addressed Master Splinter as I turned towards their kitchen "I'll listen, you talk."

* * *

"I can't believe it." Leo stalked through the doorway with Mikey hot on his heels. Both of them had been sent away, dismissed by Master Splinter with a pointed look and lift of his chin as he followed Scarlett to the kitchen, and so they'd gone to find their hot headed brother instead so they could shake some sense into him.

Raph looked up from where he was sitting on the metal exam table that Scarlett had so recently vacated, face already stony and growing colder as he took in the twin glares his brothers were giving him. Donatello didn't let his attention waver from the red banded turtles arm as he pulled the needle free of his brothers skin with a bit more force than was necessary. Raph's brow ridge twitched but otherwise he didn't acknowledge the rough treatment as Donny sewed up the slashes in his arm.

Leo came to a halt in front of the red banded turtle and crossed his arms over his plastron. "I mean, you've never exactly been the warm and welcoming type Raphael but seriously."

"She was crying dude. _Crying_." Raphael scowled as Mikey poked a finger in his face. "You heard what she's been through, where's your heart man? Luckily she's agreed to stay and at least listen to what Master Splinter says, hopefully he can convince her to let us help her."

This time Raph flinched visibly when Donny gave his arm a particularly hard jab with the needle, he fixed the purple banded turtle with a hard stare which was returned in full. "You're lucky I'm patching you up at all you neanderthal. I can't believe you waved the mind control device in Scarlett's face like that. She's been traumatised and you deliberately provoke her."

"We should have let her get a bigger piece of you." Mikey muttered darkly. "Maybe would have taught you a lesson in manners."

Leo planted his fists on his hips as he entered full lecture mode. "I suppose you think the best thing to do would be to kick her out onto the street again? Leave her for the Purple Dragons to pick up so she's with her brother?" He shook his head "Not smart Raph, that's handing them back a very powerful ally."

"And what about the Foot clan, did you stop to think of them?" Donny shook his head as he wound a bandage around his older brother's upper arm firmly. "You said yourself that it's pretty obvious that they are the ones who have been in control of her and the other mutants. They would love to get her back, implant the mind control device back in her and keep using her as muscle."

"I'm sure they would look after her. Give her a place to stay and make her feel wanted". Mikey's petulant voice made Raph grind his teeth together.

Donny gave the bandage one last yank and muttered "jerk" under his breath as he attached a butterfly clip to hold it in place.

Leo continued on as though his brothers hadn't spoken "Great idea Raph, we should definitely just leave her to go back to living on the streets on her own. Even if she isn't found by the Foot, Krang or the Purple Dragons I'm sure she could hook up with the other mutants roaming around out there thanks to us and start a club. Snake Weed, Squirrelanoids, Mr O'Neil, the Newtraliser. I'm sure there's heaps we don't even know about yet. She could be their leader." He threw his hands up in the air. "Or maybe," he was in full swing now, "maybe she could just loose control of herself again when some idiot like you pushes her buttons and go on a massive rampage through the city where this time, instead of having experienced ninja's on hand to bring her back down, there's innocent civilians to maim and kill!"

"Alright!" Raph hopped down from the table, took a few steps away from his brothers then turned to face them. His raised voice echoed through the lab and effectively cut off any further reprimands. "I get it, quit your bitchin already." He turned on his heel and stomped out of the lab leaving three slightly taken aback brothers behind.

"Where are you going?" Leo called after Raph's disappearing shell.

"OUT!"

Mikey watched him go, mouth quirked up at the corner and all anger wiped from his face. "I think he might actually feel bad."

* * *

With a snap of his wrist Splinter turned off the faucet then placed the old kettle on the stove to begin heating the water. Next he reached up to open the cupboard where he kept his collection of tea, easily reaching it where it was tucked safely at the back well out of Mikey range. Two cups were next, then a spoon to scoop out the leaves. All this done slowly and methodically, his movements calm and controlled in the hope that his mind would follow suit. Shortly after subduing Scarlett he had retreated to his quarters to allow both his sons and himself time to think over this new development Unfortunately his meditation had been cut short by yet another disturbance, this time a rather explosive one which had uncovered issues he was still coming to grips with.

As he worked to prepare the tea he could feel her eyes on him from where she sat at the kitchen bench. His fur prickled between his shoulder blades uncomfortably. In Donatello's lab her full scent had been masked by a combination of others; blood, sweat, cleaning fluids, motor oil and a myriad of other substances kept in his sons work space that usually kept him from visiting lest he develop a headache from the overpowering odours. Now, away from the lab and partially cleaned up, her scent filled his nose and triggered a response in him that was no less strong for it's purely primal origins. Predator. Both human and cat mixed together into a combination which caused his own animal instincts to urge him to attack or flee. It had taken every ounce of his self control to remain relatively calm when he had seen her chasing Raphael around the lair and even now the desire to drive her from their home was powerful. This was going to be difficult.

"Are you ok?"

Splinter started in surprise at the sound of her voice, small and unsure. Realising he was staring at the kettle which had begun to whistle he quickly removed it from the heat and poured the water into the waiting teapot. "I am fine." He answered as he gathered up the items. Steeling himself he turned and met her eye as he placed the makings of tea on the bench between them. "It has been a most...interesting day. I must confess it is taking me a while to process everything that has happened."

"Tell me about it." Scarlett's voice was dry. She rolled her eyes and he was immediately reminded of Raphael when he thought someone was stating the obvious. Somehow the comparison made him feel a little better. Both youngsters had obvious anger issues, perhaps this child before him would also respond to reasoning just as his hot headed son would once he had calmed down. Regardless it was clear to Splinter that it was not in anyone's best interest that she leave the lair any time soon. It had fallen to their little family to help this girl manage the powerful changes that had been thrust upon her lest more damage be done.

As he took his own seat across from her she watched him carefully, pinning him with her amber gaze. Thoughtful and wary but ready to listen. The thin black lines rimming her eyelids, just as all felines had, made the amber colour even more striking and he noticed that, rather than being round like a humans, her irises were very slightly oval shaped like a cats.

"Very well." Splinter said, deliberately taking her sarcasm at face value. "First of all, as I am sure you already know, we do not usually welcome visitors to our lair. It is dangerous for us to do so and we have stayed safe down here for many years thanks to our vigilance. Raphael in particular is finding your presence here challenging. Ever since my sons were small I have warned them about the dangers of humans and he has taken my words seriously."

"Yeah I got the memo." Again sarcasm.

"Perhaps considering how you yourself have been treated by those above ground you can understand his behaviour a little better?" He prodded gently.

The shift of Scarlett's jaw was subtle but spoke volumes. She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "He's an ass."

"He is scared." Splinter responded gently. "Maybe even more so than you in some ways. He is trying to protect his brothers, his father and his home."

"He told Donny to put that thing back on me." Her voice rose. Under the anger he could clearly hear the quaver of fear and the stubborn jaw trembled just a little.

"I do not condone how he has treated you but I do ask for your understanding when considering his motives, just as I ask the same of him for you. You have both injured the other and time is needed to mend those wounds." His whiskers twitched as he sniffed at the tea. Judging it sufficiently brewed he poured portions into the waiting cups.

Again she watched him closely then, as he placed a teacup in front of her, she finally nodded. "I guess I get it." She sighed and wrapped a hand around the offered cup. "I can kinda see why he's acting like a dick." A quick flick of her eyes to assess his reaction to the crude word. "Is he always like that?"

Her brows rose questioningly and he paused before answering truthfully. "In a lot of ways Raphael has been my most challenging son from the beginning, he wears his anger like armour even when with those he loves. Do not take it to heart when he pushes you away, he will come around in time." Splinter lifted his teacup and took a small sip as Scarlett absorbed his words. After a few moments he met her eye again "Secondly there is the issue of your involvement with the Purple Dragons, the Krang and the Foot clan. Three groups that wish us harm and have recently banded together to create a more powerful force against us."

"My involvement?" Anger contorted the girls face as she glared at him, her fists clenching on either side of the small cup as her temper rose at a startling rate. "The Purple Dragons are the ones who started this whole nightmare. The Krang and the..the Foot, whoever they are, fall into the same category. I see them and I'm gonna _kill_ them. They kidnapped me, mutated me, brainwashed me, used me..." As she spoke her voice continued to rise. The turtles sensei watched in fascination as fangs began to push against her bottom lip. Her scent, before a mix of feline and human, now tipped the scales towards the former and made him want to draw back from her.

"_Yamate_." Splinter issued the command strongly. Immediately Scarlett blinked and took a deep breath. She looked down at her clenched fists and uncurled them with a wince, deep grooves were carved into her palms from her nails, not bleeding but close to it. "I believe you." Her eyes met his again, this time shimmering a little with unshed tears. "I believe you have no wish to associate with our enemies. However they have left their mark upon you. If you do not learn how to control your mutation then you are a danger to yourself and those around you."

"What am I going to do?" Again her voice was small, all anger gone and in it's place complete bewilderment. Before him sat a frightened child, alone and scared, looking much younger than her actual years in a borrowed robe many sizes too big for her. Pity gripped him hard.

"If you wish you may stay with us." Splinter said slowly, testing the words on his tongue. "We have plenty of room here and I believe that, in time, we can help you learn about your new self. Perhaps find the answers of how to live with the changes you have gone through."

"Why would you do that for me?" Her voice was disbelieving as she searched his face.

"Because," Splinter reached forward tentatively and placed a paw on her hand to give her a quick squeeze before withdrawing again "it is the right thing to do."

Scarlett sniffed and swiped at her nose, frowning in thought for just a moment before nodding. "Ok."

"We shall start your training in the morning, for now you need food and sleep."

* * *

_Food_. At the mention of the word my stomach woke with an embarrassingly loud growl. I had started to open my mouth to question the 'training' part of the mutant rat's last sentence but was cut off by a sudden wave of light headedness. I lifted the teacup to my mouth and swallowed, the hot liquid traced a path down my throat and into my belly where I felt it pool in the empty space there. It did nothing to help, in fact it made me even hungrier and my stomach clenched tightly.

The sound of the fridge opening made my head snap up, I watched as Splinter took something from the freezer then held it out to me. A yellow triangle on a stick.

"Wow, a cheesypop." Mikey's voice was loud and cheery as he entered the kitchen. His wide grin was firmly in place as he winked at me. "The Hamato Yoshi equivalent of a peace pipe. Welcome to the clan."

"I do not remember telling you it was time for you to join us." Splinters voice was reprimanding and resigned at the same time. He shared a stern look between Mikey and his other two sons as they took up spots around the bench. Donny and Leo looked a little sheepish but the youngest brother waved his father's words away airily.

"I heard the fridge open and knew your chat was over." He paused and frowned as he watched me take the offered cheese from Splinter and sniff at it. My stomach rumbled again audibly as I swayed in my seat and immediately Donatello steadied me with a hand on my arm so I didn't slide off the stool. In a rush I shoved the whole thing in my mouth in one go, barely pulling the stick out before I choked on it. Frozen dairy crunched loudly between my teeth.

"I got here just in time, I don't think cheese is gonna cut it." Mikey opened the fridge and chuckled to himself "Heh, cut the cheese..." I swallowed the rest of what was in my mouth and tracked his movements closely as the makings of a huge sandwich began piling up in front of me.

"You ok Scarlett?" Donny had sat next to me, he tentatively put a hand to my forehead. "You've gone pretty pale and your skin is clammy."

"I'm fine." I forced a smile and blinked a few times to clear the black spots from my vision as he took his hand away. "Just really really hungry," I went back to watching Mikey "like gonna barf hungry. It's weird."

"Where is Raphael?" Splinter asked Leo who slid a glance at me before answering his father.

"He went for a walk to cool off a bit and clear his head." The eldest turtle got up to grab his own teacup then turned back and gave me a reassuring smile as he sat back down and poured some tea for himself. "We're all on the same page now."

"Oh really?" Splinters voice was lifted at the end same as his eyebrow. "And what page is that my son?"

"That Scarlett is staying of course," Mikey said as he began slicing tomatoes and ham "bit of a no brainer."

"Indeed," their master conceded with a hint of humour colouring his voice "we have come to an understanding. I am counting on you all to act as a team so that this new arrangement is a success."

"Of course Master Splinter." Leo assured his father then turned to grin at me, only the second smile I had seen on his face since I'd met him and once again it transformed him, instantly made him seem years younger. "Welcome to the family Scarlett."

"But..." I struggled to find the words "just like that? I mean...after I..."

"It's ok Scarlett, we understand." Donny reassured me with a smile which was echoed by his brothers. "We've had some crazy stuff happen to us too in case you couldn't tell. We just want to help."

I hid a grin with my hand and gave an uncomfortable shrug "Thanks guys." I snagged a slice of ham and managed to withdraw both it and my hand before Mikey could nail me with a slap.

"No picking." He squinted at me reproachfully. "Wait for the masterpiece to be finished!" He grabbed more ham and added it to the growing mound of fillings being placed on the bottom layer of bread.

I shoved the stolen meat into my mouth in one go, chewed it a bit and smiled toothily around the mess. "Hurry up dude."

"Gross." He said happily. Slapping the second piece of bread on top of his creation he pushed the plate and it's towering sandwich towards me with a flourish. He plopped onto a stool amongst the mess he'd created and propped his chin on a fist as I pulled the plate under my nose. The monstrosity was at least a foot high teetering precariously as it dripped mayonnaise from between it's layers of tomato, lettuce, ham, cheese and about a hundred other fillings.

"Mikey," Leo's voice was reproachful and a little horrified "there's no way she could eat all that..." He cut off as I stood up and climbed onto the stool so that I was kneeling on it. Using two hands I pushed downwards on the tower of food, grunting with the effort, until it was mashed into an easier to manage width. Quickly I scooped it up from the plate with two hands and bit into it, sighing happily as my stomach finally began to fill up.

"That's so much better." I mumbled between bites. Only stopping every now and then to breathe I systematically plowed my way through the whole thing.

"I can't believe it." Leo looked at Mikey "She's worse than you and I've seen you eat pizza with no hands."

"Your colour is improving." Donny said as he leaned towards me and lifted a hand. I paused chewing, a rumble pushing it's way from the back of my throat until he sat back again. "When was the last time you ate?" He asked, completely unfazed by being growled at.

I shrugged. "Not sure, can't remember. Definitely not since I woke up in that cell so that's at least," I 'hmmm'd' thoughtfully "a day?" I took another big bite of the sandwich.

"And how many times have you shifted since then?" His tone was thoughtful.

I chewed and swallowed as I looked at him, a frown pulling my brow down. "I guess four times back and forth. Why?"

"It's just interesting that's all." Donny tapped his chin as he eyed me and for a moment I could clearly picture him with a clipboard in his hand. Maybe even a white coat. My frown deepened. "Shifting between leopard and human would take a tremendous amount of energy. Every time you shift you are using up a huge amount of calories which need replacing and if you don't replentish them you get weak and pale. Explains why you were so white a moment ago and now that you've eaten your colour is coming back." He smiled at me. "Like I said, interesting."

"Donny's a scientist through and through Scar." Mikey slapped his brother on the shoulder. "He wants to figure out how you work, it's just what he does so don't worry."

"Ok." I gave Donny another sideways glance and went back to finishing my food, slower now that my stomach was filling up.

"So what's next?" Leonardo's voice was brisk as he slipped back into the role of leader. "What do we do from here?"

"Well Scarlett needs human stuff I guess." Mikey's voice seemed like it was coming from far away. He handed me a bunch of napkins absently as I finished the last bite of sandwich. I took them and muffled a yawn as I started the process of wiping away the leftover crumbs and drips from my face and hands as the turtles continued talking over my head as if I wasn't there.

"Didn't April leave a whole heap of her things here when she moved back in with her dad?"

I finished cleaning myself off as best I could and crumpled the napkins into a tight ball before pushing my plate away to clear a space in front of me. Another jaw cracking yawn forced my mouth open.

"Yeah I think so, maybe some spare clothes or something are left in her old room. I dunno...what else do humans need?"

I folded my arms and let my heavy head fall down to rest on them. I was just gonna close my eyes for a sec...


	16. Dr Don

_Thanks for the kind reviews everyone, it's very addictive to get that feedback and I find myself checking my emails way too often after I post chapters to see what people think of my story! Please feed the writer *bats eyelashes*._

_The next two chapters use Season 2 Episode 30 'Mutagen Man Unleashed' as a basis for getting Scarlett established in the lair, it was supposed to be one chapter but I had to break it up when I got close to 5000 words otherwise it would have been waaaay too long._

_Here goes...not much action in this one (sorry BubbleEwa!) but I hope you like it anyway :)_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

The occasional pink spark still stuttered from the snapped neck of the Footbot. It's crumpled form, half propped up against the wall where it had fallen, was absurdly pathetic. The hissing sound of ripped wires seemed loud in the quiet room. Karai studied it for a moment then opened her fist and looked down at the twisted pieces of metal on her palm, broken shards of a mind control device. Two pieces of Krang technology that had let her down today.

"Get rid of it." Karai's voice was cold, deceptively quiet, but it made Bradford jump a little in fright regardless. Shredders daughter had barely seemed to outwardly react to the mutants escape but he could feel her boiling anger sitting just under the surface, like dark clouds on the horizon. He pitied the fool to give her the slightest excuse to take her wrath out on them. Even more so if it turned out to be him.

"Yes mistress." He slunk past, hating his mutated body even more as he strained not to make contact with her in the cramped confines of the small cell. As he picked up the destroyed Footbot and slung it over one massive shoulder Karai watched him with narrowed eyes, almost daring him to slip up somehow, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and eyes down as he escaped to do her bidding. She listened to his retreating footsteps until they faded out then turned her gaze to the blonde mutant still sitting on the small cot against the wall.

"Kin." She took a few small steps forward then knelt down so she was at eye level with her shifter. Once part of a pair but now his other half was missing. Taken. Karai wondered if he felt anything for Sumi, if somewhere deep inside his head he felt her loss. For the first time her expression cracked a little, brow furrowing slightly and mouth pulling into a hard line.

"Hai Sensei?" His voice was flat and emotionless, golden eyes meeting her dark ones unblinkingly.

"Sumi's gone..." the words stuck in her throat and she paused for a moment to clear it. "I don't know who took her...or where she is...but I'm going to find her. Anyone involved in this is going to pay." Tears pricked at her eyes, she blinked them away and clenched a fist. "I'm going to get her back..."

* * *

_"Oh no! Super bad times for all!"_

"What?" I sat upright with a jerk and looked around groggily. The knitted blanket that had been covering me slipped down my shoulder and I grabbed at it reflexively. Rubbing a palm into my eye to clear the gunk I caught sight of Mikey grinning at me from the floor. He was sitting so close to the t.v. I couldn't see what he was watching but the blaring techno music reached my ears just fine. I lowered my fist from my eye and waved tentatively at him, awkward with the idea that he'd been watching me while I was passed out.

"You drool in your sleep." He informed me in a cheery voice.

I blinked at him a few times as his words floated around in my head, at first disjointed then slowly coming together to make a coherent sentence. I drool? I glanced down next to me and saw there was a huge wet patch on the pillow I'd been lying on. I scraped my fingers under my mouth then rubbed the moisture off onto my borrowed robe. Seems I was destined to be nothing but classy in the presence of these guys, hadn't been at my best right from the start. "Eh." I shrugged in resignation, raising my arms over my head as a huge yawn cracked my jaw. There were a few audible pops from my muscles and I groaned. "Why is your couch made of concrete?" I complained.

Mikey ignored me, his evaluation wasn't quite finished yet. "And you kinda stink too. Like old mayo and burnt meat." He squinted at me pointedly.

An unladylike snort escaped me in a huff of breath. "Really?" I laughed and dropped my arms, fluttering my eyelashes at him. "I would have thought that after being held captive for months then coming to live in a sewer I'd be fresh as a daisy." I stuck my tongue out at him and he shot his own straight back.

A flash of white in my lap caught my eye, my wrists had been bandaged up again. I didn't remember that happening...in fact I didn't remember anything from last night after putting my head on my arms so I could close my eyes after eating an enormous sandwich. Someone must have carried me out here, patched me up and tucked me in like a baby. I wonder how long I'd been asleep for?

"We aren't in a sewer we're in an abandoned subway tunnels." Mikey said in a snooty voice, which was ruined by the continuing grin on his face, then turned back to his show. "Leo found some clothes for you, they're waiting in the bathroom along with some towels. There's also some of Aprils girly stuff I put in there you can use." One green arm came up to point off in the direction of the bathroom.

From the tv came a series of monkey noises followed by _"Don't worry Squeakums, we'll blast them with mighty super robo mecha."_ I craned my neck to try and see what Mikey was watching and got a vague impression of a big guy in a red jumpsuit.

"What the heck is this nonsense? It's terrible!" Raph's voice directly behind me made me jump and pull the blanket back up until it covered my chin. I swivelled my head towards his rough voice to see him standing at the top of the lounge pit flanked by Leo and Donny. My eyes zeroed in on the bandage on his upper arm, that must be where I caught him last night. I wasn't quite sure how to feel, satisfied or guilty? The guy was an asshole but Splinters words from last night hovered in the back of my mind.

"Terribly _awesome_!" Mikey leapt up from the floor and hefted a milk crate full of black tapes to show his brothers. "I found these old tapes in a dumpster!"

"Tapes?" As he spoke Raph's eyes caught mine for a second then quickly flicked back to his little brother. I pulled my head back around, dropping my eyes as I realised I'd been staring.

Leo plopped down beside me and motioned to the t.v. "Dude this is awful, and you guys complained about Space Heroes." I moved my pillow aside, dropping it soggy side down onto the floor. "How you doing?" He raised an eyebrow at me as I pulled the blanket up to cover my mouth.

My voice was muffled by the blanket. "Um, ok I guess." I shifted uncomfortably at how close he was, I really did need that shower. My breath could probably peel paint.

Raph bypassed the lounge and went straight to Mikey, settling on the floor next to him so all I could see was his shell. "Their lips don't even match what they're saying. I could never watch a show this bad." Ok, I was expecting at least one glare but apparently Raphael was going to ignore me.

"How are your wrists going?" Donatello appeared on my other side and held out one of his hands expectantly. I hesitated for a moment then dutifully slipped my left arm from the blanket, snaking it out a gap in the fabric, and showed him. He turned my arm over, studying it thoughtfully. "I rebandaged them last night while you were asleep. I never got a chance to check you for other injuries though, how are your ribs feeling?"

"Pretty horrible," I admitted, still using the blanket as a reverse gas mask "sleeping on what you guys try to pass off as a couch didn't help either."

He cracked a smile and dropped my arm. "We'll have April's old room ready for you by tonight, sleeping on a mattress should help with that. Until then a hot shower will help your muscles."

"Hey Doctor Doofus could you keep it down?" Raph threw over his shoulder. "Some of us are trying to watch t.v." Mikey immediately poked his brother in the side and Raph responded by lifting a clenched fist to wave it threateningly under his nose.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Donny's face go from earnest to irritated. He snapped his head around, presumably to give his brother a mouthful, but I jumped up to cut him off. "I'll go have that shower now."

Don looked up at me and nodded. "Make sure you take the bandages off first then come find me after so I can put fresh ones on again ok?"

_"Super Mega Force Five Go!"_

I flicked Donatello a salute and headed off, blanket and all, to find the bathroom.

* * *

Their bathroom was a decent size, not pretty looking but all I cared about was that the water was hot. I set it running as I started unwinding the bandages, letting them fall to the tiled floor in a jumble. There was a pile of towels balanced on the closed toilet seat, a stack of clothes placed neatly on the floor and a bunch of toiletries dumped into the sink. As soon as my wrists were free I grabbed a bottle of shampoo, one of conditioner and another of body wash, letting the robe fall to the ground along with the bandages as I stepped under the water.

For a while I just stood there with my eyes closed, hot water cascading over me and taking the majority of the built up grit with it to wash down the plughole. I let my muscles unknot a little before eventually getting to work on cleaning myself up. As I did every little scrape and bruise made its self known. Washing my hair unearthed one lump above my right ear that ached dully as I pressed on it and another on my temple. The wound at the back of my neck gave me the shudders as my fingers passed over it and the hot water set it to stinging again. The marks on my wrists from fighting the chains looked heaps better than last night which surprised me, the flesh there was bruised and scratched but mostly healed over. I probably wouldn't actually need new bandages. As I rubbed myself down with the body wash I winced as I passed over my ribs, twisting to look I gaped as I saw the size of the bruise there. This was what had hurt the most when I'd woken up on Donatello's exam table yesterday, looked like someone had hit me with a sledgehammer. I took a deep breath experimentally and was relieved when there was no sharp stinging pain, hopefully nothing was broken.

The rest of me seemed to be in good shape, there was a scrape on my knee but otherwise my legs were fine. The bottoms of my feet were hard with callouses which made me think I'd been spending a lot of time barefoot lately. They also had a few grazes which made them sting a little but all in all I wasn't in too bad a shape for someone who'd been in three different fights in the space of twenty four hours.

I turned the water off reluctantly and stepped out of the shower, snatching up a towel I quickly wrapped my hair in it then used another to dry off as I rummaged around in the sink again to see what else the mysterious April had unknowingly left behind for me. There was some deodorant which I sprayed on as well as some peach scented moisturiser. Awesome. Unfortunately there was no toothbrush so I gargled some toothpaste then rubbed my teeth with the corner of my towel. After that there wasn't much to do besides towel dry my hair then smooth out the tangles the best that I could with the small comb I found. There was no mirror in the bathroom so I couldn't get a look at myself, probably a good thing. I shook out my fringe, sweeping it to the side when it hung in my eyes. There was a hairband wrapped around the handle of the brush so I used it to make a ponytail, shrugging as I finished. It would have to do.

"And now for real clothes." I spread the collection of items across a dry patch of floor and frowned, not much to work with. There was a pair of black leggings and a long sleeved black top, a pair of short denim shorts and a yellow t-shirt with a white 5 on the chest. No shoes, socks or underwear. I considered for a moment then pulled on the shorts and t-shirt. They fit pretty well, the shorts came to just above mid thigh and the t-shirt was big enough to hide that I wasn't wearing a bra. I sighed when I noticed that my legs were kinda hairy. Pulling the shorts off again I put the leggings on before once more donning the denim. Five minutes later I emerged from the bathroom leaving behind a mess of wet towels, a robe, bandages and left over clothes.

* * *

"...sorry Timothy." Donny cringed as he met the unhappy mutants unblinking stare. Talk about insensitive, here he was angsting over April when The Pulveriser was reduced to life in a jar. The guy was a great listener though and it wasn't like Donny could share his feelings with his brothers. They thought he was an idiot for even thinking about April as any more than a friend.

Donny tapped some flakes into the top of Timothy's tank then sank back down on the stool to watch the mutants mouth hoover the brown specks up as they floated down through the green fluid. He sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "It doesn't matter anyway. April blames us for her dad's mutation."

The sound of the door to his lab slowly grinding open had him turning his head slightly. He was just opening his mouth to issue a warning to Mikey to stay the hell out of his lab, assuming his younger brother was coming to him in boredom to wreck havoc once again, when a flash of yellow caught his eye. He was up out of his seat so quickly the stool spun and crashed into Timothy's tank with a jarring sound. The figure in the doorway cringed backwards and belatedly he realised that the girl standing there had dark hair not red.

"Uh, Scarlett. Hi." He felt a flush heat his face as he retrieved his stool and sat back down. Clearing his throat as he made a motioning gesture. "Come in."

Scarlett stayed where she was, clinging to the door like it was a life line, amber eyes huge and wary in her pale face. Donny groaned inwardly as he realised he must have really startled her. Forcing a smile the purple banded turtle motioned to her again, "It's ok, I was just talking to the Pulveriser here. He's helping me out with a project I'm working on. Come and have a look."

Scarlett's eyes searched his for a moment then flicked to the exam table. Donny followed her gaze and almost face palmed when he saw the chains draped over it like a long metal snake. Stupid stupid stupid. He leapt up from his stool a second time and gathered up the offending coil, noticing from the corner of his eye as he did so that Scarlett had now withdrawn until she was mostly behind the door with only her face and the fingertips of one hand showing as it continued to grip the door. With a last clatter of metal links Donatello shoved the chain and its attached cuffs way out of sight towards the back of his lab. As an afterthought he frantically searched the surface of his desk and found the mind control device, still there where he'd tossed it after finding it discarded on the floor last night. With a powerful flick of his arm he launched it towards the area of his lab where he kept all his treasures that he and his brothers had dragged back from the dump, a huge tangle of bits and pieces tucked away in a far corner, salvaged for their possible future use. He turned back to Scarlett and in the ensuing silence they both listened to the small disk clink a few times as it disappeared into the wilderness of junk then fell silent. For a moment Donny felt the sharp pang of missed scientific opportunity as he wondered if it would ever be seen again but then dismissed it in favour of trying to coax Scarlett back into his lab.

"Sorry about that," he motioned to her for the third time, indicating she should take a seat on the stool "I should have gotten rid...my lab is a safe place for you I swear. No more chains or mind control devices. Promise."

He held his breath as a little more of Scarlett came into view, she looked in the direction of where he'd discarded the offending items then back to him. "Where's Mik...where's everyone else?" She asked in an unsure voice.

"Well," Donny paused as he checked the time on the clock hanging over the door "It's mid afternoon so I'd guess that Leo is in Splinters room meditating, Raph would be in the dojo seeing as he isn't here working on his bike and Mikey..." He watched for her reaction as he said his younger brothers name and was rewarded when he saw her interest peak, interesting, "Mikey is probably getting lunch started."

"Lunch?"

Scarlett's face brightened a little and Donny smiled inwardly as he remembered the way she had eaten last night. The way to this girl's heart was obviously through her stomach. "Yeah, he's our resident chef." He scanned his desk once more then grinned when he found the stash of lollypops he kept on his desk to distract Mikey if he was trying to do something important and needed him out of the way. He held up a red one and cocked his brow. "Would this tide you over until he's finished?"

Scarlett lifted an eyebrow of her own at Donny with a decidedly 'I know what you're doing' expression then a small smile lifted a corner of her mouth. She nodded and shrugged. "Ok." The yellow t-shirt and leggings-with-denim-shorts combo struck Donny again, twisting his heart, as she made her way over to the offered stool, plucked the lollypop from Donny's fingers and began unwrapping it as she swung her legs absently, bare feet flashing white. Motioning to Timothy she asked around the sweet in her mouth "What's his deal?"

"I'm working on finding an antidote for him, a retro mutagen." He placed a hand on the surface of the glass tank. "Pretty soon Timothy here won't have to be a barely sentient glob of intestinal goo any longer."

Scarlett studied the mutant closely, seeming more interested now than wary, so Donny kept talking, hoping to make her feel more comfortable. He shifted around her and she swivelled on the stool to follow his movement as he reached his desk and pointed to a jar of something. "This is my latest experiment."

He held it up for Scarlett to see, she frowned and made a small sound of disgust. "That looks like the same stuff that was used to mutate me."

Donatello nodded and placed the jar carefully back on the desk. "All the mutagen we've found looks the same however the Krang have been altering it according to their needs, each batch is slightly different. I'm hoping to find the right one that will allow me to create a retro mutagen."

"What's a retro mutagen?" Scarlett asked, really interested now as she watched the tall turtle fiddle with another smaller beaker that held a blue liquid. She slid off the stool to get a better look as Donny filled an eyedropper. When he tried to turn back to the beaker of mutagen he found himself blocked with her right up against his side. "It's..." Donny broke off, a pained expression crossing his face as her scent caught in his nose. Peaches...April's moisturiser, Mikey must have left it in the bathroom for Scarlett to use. He cleared his throat awkwardly and shifted away.

Scarlett immediately stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, her defences slamming back up in an instant. "What?"

"It's nothing." Donatello rushed to reassure her, Scarlett scowled at him without saying anything. Silently calling bullshit and waiting him out. Eventually the turtle sighed and reached out to pick up a photo frame that was sitting on the edge of his desk. The one that contained the picture of him pushing April on a swing, both of them grinning from ear to ear. His favourite. Donatello handed it over without a word then waited while she squinted at him questioningly then studied the photo.

After a moment Scarlett looked down at herself then back at the photo, making a face as she passed it over to the turtle. "So I'm guessing this is the April Mikey mentioned?" Donny nodded. "And you have a thing for her?" He winced, was he that transparent? He sighed then nodded again. "Aaaaand I'm wearing _her_ clothes right now." Scarlett finished flatly as she passed the frame back.

"Yeah," Donny squirmed a bit and put the photo back on his desk "when you walked in for a second I thought she'd come back." He let out a forced laugh then coughed to clear his throat when it sounded lame. "You probably think I'm pathetic right?"

"Um, no not really." Her amber eyes caught his, mouth twisted humorously "she's a good looking girl I guess, she must be ok if Mikey likes her. I say go for it man." She sounded so genuine, her voice lacking any hint of disgust or surprise that a mutant turtle would have a thing for a human girl. Donny felt a rush of gratitude at her immediate acceptance and, not knowing what to say, he busied himself by shuffling a few things around on his desk, at the same time trying not to look at the photo again.

Scarlett pulled the stool up to the table, plonked herself down and moved the stick of her lollypop from one side of her mouth to the other. "Mikey mentioned her last time I was here, said you guys rescued her from the Krang or something. I'm guessing she hasn't been around lately though otherwise you wouldn't have looked so freaked a second ago."

Donatello nodded sadly "She's not talking to me...to any of us at the moment." He sighed and rubbed his neck "In fact she said straight up she never wants to see us again."

"Bummer, what happened?"

"We kinda...maybe...mutated her father..." he winced and looked at Scarlett when she made a sound of shocked surprise "It was an accident, we were trying to stop a Krang ship from delivering a load of mutagen and we dropped the entire shipment over the city instead. April and her dad were on their rooftop at the time tracking the Krang for us and Mr O'Neil got exposed to a canister full. He's a giant mutant bat now." He finished lamely "Mikey named him Wingnut."

"Wow." She seemed to struggle for a moment, mouth opening and closing around her lollypop, then settled for saying "Wow" again.

"Yeah," Donny shook his head sadly "that's why I've been working so hard lately. Every night we go out looking for the missing canisters and dealing with the mutants that pop up from coming into contact with the mutagen. Then during the day I use my spare time to work on developing a retro mutagen." He held up the eyedropper full of blue liquid again. "This is a compound I created using Timothy's...uh...goo. I'm hoping that when I add it to the mutagen it will mix to form an antidote."

Scarlett's eyes flicked from Timothy to the green mutagen sitting in the beaker then back to Donny, her face lighting up with interest "Cool, can I see?"

In the face of her hopeful expression Donny smiled back, glad for the distraction from April talk "Sure" he nodded "you might want to stand back though. I usually don't let anyone in here while I'm woking on this project, it can be unpredictable."

Scarlett hopped down from the stool and stood behind Donny as he prepared to combine the two liquids. "Do you think it would work on me too?" she asked hopefully in his ear, standing on tiptoe and steadying herself by lightly gripping the rim of his shell as she peeked over his shoulder.

"I'm hoping it will help _anyone_ who's been mutated." The brainy turtle responded distractedly, the tip of his tongue popping out the side of his mouth as he concentrated. "Now, let's see..." He let a few drops of the blue liquid fall. The instant it hit the mutagen in the beaker there was a crackling sound, strands of frost sprung up on the outside of the glass which omitted an ominous creaking sound as the green mutagen turned blue as well.

"Frozen?!" Donny slammed the eye dropper down with a grunt of disgust. "Ah great, another batch lost!"

"Too bad dude." Scarlett sympathised as she came back around to look at the failed retro mutagen. "Maybe next time hey?"

Donny huffed in answer then, with a reflex born through years of trying to work with Mikey as his 'lab assistant', pushed the younger girls arm away as she went to poke at the frozen beaker. "Hey." He swatted her hand away again as she went in for another try. "Stop that, do you want to get mutated again?"

She shrugged as if to say she didn't care but allowed Donny to steer her towards the exam table. "You're here so I can check you over so let's have a look at you. I'll deal with the clean up later."

* * *

Xever steeled himself as he stood before Shredders throne, unsure if he had been summond before the head of the Foot Clan to be given a new assignment or punished for some misdeed that had taken place during his absence. In his experience it could easily be either.

To his left, at the foot of the dias and flanked by her pet Kin, Karai pouted angrily. Her arms were crossed over her metal breast plate, hip cocked to one side in her trademark stance as she shot him glares that threatened to strip the scales off him. He swallowed and fervently hoped he wasn't the one in _either_ of their bad graces, father and daughter both sported volatile tempers that set the bowels of even the toughest warrior to water.

"We require the services of your Purple Dragons." Shredder's dark voice seeped down the stairs and Xever's legs would have quivered in relief had they not been mechanical. This he could deal with.

"Anything you desire Master Shredder." He bowed his head low and waited.

"It seems my daughter has lost one of her pets, your men will search the city. Leave no stone unturned until this...Sumi...is once again under our control." Shredder leant forward at the waist, eyes hard above the silver mouth guard that only partially hid his scarred face. "Are you capable of completing this task?"

"Of course," Xever hastened to assure his master "my men will spread across the city to look for the shifter girl and return her to you as soon as possible."

"They better." Karai spoke darkly "I want her back Fishface, and I want whoever took her to suffer."

"As you wish Mistress Karai." Xever bowed again deeply to hide the flash of hatred in his eyes for the girl, waiting until Master Shredder dismissed him before turning and stalking back down the path away from Oroku Saki and his daughter.

As he went his mind whirled furiously, how was he supposed to find this needle in a haystack? The leopard shifter could be anywhere in the city, maybe even outside the city for all he knew. He needed to speak to the man he'd assigned to lead the Purple Dragons when his mutation had left him with this broken body. He needed Hayden Duane...

* * *

Dun dun dun...

And also...awwwww Scarlett and Donny bonding time :)


	17. Settling In

_Sorry for the long delay, my imagination had been wrapped up in story ideas for Scarlett that won't happen for a long time and I've had trouble staying in the right headspace for the current chapters. After struggling for weeks I finally got stuck in and had fun writing all day today._

_Soooooo...don't hate me but this chapter got too long again and I had to chop it in half. I really wanted to get stuck into some action scenes quickly but darn it there was more set up to do! This chapter has stuff that is important to me like some Mikey and Scarlett bonding time, first attempt at meditation with Splinter and Scarlett snooping around a bit while the turtles are out on patrol. Some may find it a bit slow but I just couldn't rush over it!_

_Good news is that I am also posting the next chapter in a few days to make it up to all of you for the long wait. Lots of action in that one :)_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

The room was small and cramped, a rectangular shape that made me think it would have been a storage room once upon a time. At first I was sure that if I stretched out my arms to either side far enough I could touch both walls at once but a quick test of that theory proved I fell short by about a foot. A single bare bulb hung from the ceiling and on the slightly crumbly brick walls were regular spaced holes that suggested shelves used to be screwed in there. The single bed was crammed up against the farthest wall and an old lamp with a gross mottled green shade sat on an overturned milk crate providing just enough light to push the shadows back into the corners. Instead of a dresser there were more milk crates, stacked high into two pillars with the handle of a broom threaded through the top ones to make a kind of wardrobe. Hanging from this rickety furnishing were a few bent clothes hangers, one of them held the black turtleneck I'd declined to wear earlier after my shower and another held the huge robe Master Splinter had loaned to me. The various bottles and lotions left by April had been moved back to the makeshift bedside table but apart from this the room was pretty bare. In a way it reminded me of the cell I'd just come from but, I thought to myself with black humour, that space had actually been a lot nicer than this one.

I sat crossways on the bed with my back leant up against the wall and legs straight out in front of me so my black clad shins and bare feet hung over the edge. I'd tried to pull my knees to my chest but my ribs were still a bit too sore for that. Donny had checked them out and, after a bit of hemming and hawing, had confirmed that nothing was broken. I'd thought at first that maybe he hadn't wanted to touch me, that I repulsed him or something. His fingers had been shaking visibly as he'd run them over my side. I'd been stupidly surprised when he'd shot me a lopsided smile and confessed that he'd never been up so close to a human skeletal structure before. Then he'd launched into a running commentary on my anatomy with words like 'exposed ribs' and 'vulnerable organs' and I had realised that to him anyone without a protective shell was weird. Down here I really was the odd one out...apart from also being a mutant I guess.

I sighed as I picked at the bedspread, it was a weird faded red colour with puckered bunches of fabric I guessed were supposed to look like roses or something. It was pretty ugly which was fine because it suited the rest of the room perfectly. I had just managed to loosen a thread and start unravelling one of the puckers when a shadow fell across the open doorway. I'd left the door ajar so that the room didn't seem as small and now Mikey was blocking the only exit with his wide frame so that the whole space felt tiny anyway. "Hey." In his hands he had a large bowl with steam rising from the top, he held it out towards me "You missed lunch, hungry?"

The smell of fried noodles and chicken hit my nose, setting my stomach to rumbling loudly before I could answer. The turtle grinned in that wide mouthed way of his and took the sound as an invitation to come in. I quickly scooted out of the way so that he could plop down on the far end of the bed, grunting as I did so when the awkward movement pulled at my side.

"You get the all clear from Doc?"

I snatched the food from him and nodded quickly. "Yeah, Donny says nothing looks too bad. My ribs still hurt a bit but they aren't broken just bruised." I frowned at the chopsticks stuck into the bowl, settling the plate onto my lap so I could pick them up. I'd never really got the hang of using these things, seemed like a silly way to eat to me. "Apparently when I go from human to cat then back again my injuries heal up quicker, something about my bones and muscles needing to break and reform anyway when I shift. Donny says even if my ribs were broken they're mostly ok now."

"Donny says a lot when he get's going doesn't he?" Mikey's voice was full of laughter as he watched me struggle with the chopsticks. "How can you not know how to use those?" He said eventually. Reaching over he grabbed my hands and repositioned my fingers around the chopsticks. His thick green fingers closed over mine, rough but surprisingly dexterous considering he only had three. "The bottom one stays still, only the top one moves up and down," he wiggled my fingers "like that."

He released my hands, sitting back as I tried again. I screwed my mouth up in concentration, managing to snag a piece of broccoli and balancing it precariously as I brought it to my mouth. Both of us let out a huff of air when it toppled back into the bowl just before it reached it's destination. "Stupid way to eat." I grumbled.

"I think you just have too many fingers." Mikey grabbed my hand again and held it up to get a better look. The fascination on his round freckled face as he started manipulating my fingers stopped me from yanking my hand out of his, I wasn't used to being grabbed at so much. Instead I felt a bemused smile lifting a corner of my mouth as he pulled my fingers this way and that then folding my pinky and ring finger down and placing our palms together so that our hands kind of matched despite the vastly different scale. "The last two just get in the way, you don't actually need them to hold chopsticks." He dropped my hand then held the sticks back out to me.

"Well show me how you use them with your three huge fingers then smartass." I challenged, cocking an eyebrow at him. He made a cocky face and, without looking, shifted the chopsticks so that one was pinned between the base of his thumb and third finger then the other was pinched between his thumb tip and pointer. He waggled them in my face, laughing as i batted him away from pinching the tip of my nose with them. "Smartass." I muttered again as I snatched them back and fumbled my way around getting the right hold. Maybe I did have too many fingers.

Mikey lent back on the wall, his shell making gritty noises as it ground against the brick, and stretched his legs out to match mine. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, still fascinated by the way he was put together. Like how his front plate could actually bend which allowed him to move into positions I was pretty sure a normal turtle couldn't. Like sitting. "So why are you hiding in here?" He asked casually. "You missed lunch, we usually eat together as a family before we go out on patrol."

I shrugged and swallowed the piece of chicken I'd managed to stab with a chopstick. "Leo said my room was ready so I thought I'd check it out. And besides, I'm not family." Mikey opened his mouth and frowned but I kept going "Raph hates me, Donny is nice but weirded out that I'm dressed like April and Splinter is uncomfortable around me, I can tell. I thought it would be better if I just lay low for a few days. Try to stay out of the way."

"Raph doesn't hate you..." he shot me an exasperated look from the corner of his eye when I scoffed loudly "...hate is a strong word!" He insisted stubbornly. "And Splinter said he wants you to stay which is a big deal, trust me he never lies. And as for Donny he totally digs you as much as I do but...yeah...we need to get you a new outfit." His eyes flicked over my clothes then back up to my face. "Everyone just needs time to get used to each other and that won't happen if you hide in here all the time."

"Laying low." I corrected mulishly.

Mikey laughed "Yeah ok, just promise me you'll have dinner with us when we get back from patrol later tonight." I made a non committal grunt and scooped up some noodles with my fingers, dropping them into my mouth and slurping noisily. "C'mon Scarlett, please?" I looked at him curiously, wondering why he cared so much, and got caught up in his earnest expression. He saw my cocked eyebrow and smiled sheepishly "It's just...I'm just really glad we found you, you know, and I want to make sure you are happy here." He shrugged slightly. "I've been worried about you, searching for you for a long time and I almost can't believe you're really here." He was talking about me as if I was some kind of celebrity.

"You were?" I asked in surprise, something in my chest clenched as he nodded and smiled. I studied him openly "Ok," I said slowly, searching his face for any hint that he was leading me on. What I got was nothing but what appeared to be open honesty. After a minute I nodded slightly and he sat back happily as I fished out another noodle from the bowl with my fingers. "What happens on patrol?" I asked to change the subject.

"Oh, you know, just me and my bro's doing super awesome ninja hero stuff." Mikey waved a hand airily. "We go out as soon as it get's dark and patrol the city to find lost mutagen as well as keep everyone safe from aliens, mutants and evil ninja's." His chest puffed out and he flexed an impressive bicep at me. "I believe the word you used to describe us when we first met was elite." He waggled his eye ridge at me as he held the pose.

I felt my cheeks heat, rolling my eyes and poking him in the side as punishment for bringing up that embarrassing reminder, then grinned when my finger found unprotected flesh above the bridging between his shell and front plate. My finger digging into his side caused him to let out a small squeal of protest and drop his pose. My smile slowly evaporated as his words sunk in. "You guys are going out?" I chewed my lip nervously. "You're leaving me here alone?" Hiding in my new bedroom with the guys still around was one thing, staying here all by myself was something else entirely.

The youngest turtle rubbed at his side as he reassured me "It's no big, Master Splinter will be here. He doesn't like to leave the lair unless he _really_ has to." Mikey's head whipped around as Leo's voice called out to him, right on cue. "In fact I was supposed to tell you that he wants to see you in the dojo as soon as you've finished eating. Your training starts tonight!" He sounded excited as he bounced off the bed and headed for the door.

"Training?" I stood up from the bed too, still clutching my dinner, and followed him out the door into the hallway. "Did Splinter say...?"

"Mikey move your ass!" Raph's angry voice echoed around the lair and we both jumped.

Mikey sighed loudly then turned to gather me to his side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he guided me towards the steps that led from the bedroom hallway to the lounge pit. As we turned the corner and came into view of the other three turtles who were all waiting at the turnstiles across the far side of the lair he gave me one last squeeze then let me go. "We will swap stories at dinner tonight ok?"

"Can't I just come with you?" I asked huffily.

"Nah, a bit too soon for that." He shook his head with a reassuring smile "You'll be fine!" With that he bounded off, taking the lounge pit in two jumps and joining his brothers as they vaulted the turnstiles. He turned to give me a little wave and Donny smiled at me then they were gone, leaving me clutching a cooling bowl of noodles to my chest.

* * *

A while later I was back in Donny's lab. As soon as Master Splinter had let me escape I'd made a bee line for the giant metal doors that protected the purple banded turtles labyrinth of treasures. I'm not sure why I was drawn straight here but it probably had something to do with my own room being so drab and boring. Donny's lab was much more interesting and not at all scary now that I'd spent some non-hysterical time in it. I slid the heavy door open as quietly as I could, I hadn't actually been told to stay out of the lab by anyone but I was pretty sure Splinter would stop me if he knew I was headed here, he had told me to 'entertain myself productively until his sons returned home' which to him probably meant more meditation not exploring a lab full of monsters and mutagen. I slipped inside then shut the sliding door again, turning to scan the huge lab with curiosity.

The 'training session' with Splinter hadn't been what I expected at all. When the giant rat had said we'd be working together to get my shifting under control I'd thought maybe he'd meant something more physical than sitting on the floor with my eyes closed. Meditation...seriously? How was that supposed to help me? I shook my head and pulled a face as I began wandering around the lab and poking randomly at the piles of interesting stuff, if meditation was all they had to offer me then maybe I was better off working things out on my own. And besides, I was obviously terrible at it. Master Splinter hadn't actually said as much but I could hear it in his voice whenever he had to correct me. Who knew sitting on your ass and closing your eyes had any kind of trick to it?

Earlier I'd gone to find the turtles master like Mikey told me and to do so I had to pass through the kitchen so I paused there to dump my empty bowl in the sink. I'd been trying to picture sitting around the bench later tonight eating dinner with mutant turtles when I'd caught sight of the digital clock hanging on the wall. I'd blinked a few times then squinted at the glowing numbers, it was after eight at night? Hadn't Mikey just handed me lunch? My sense of time was totally screwed up from being down here. I had frowned in thought as I pulled aside the curtain that separated the dojo from the kitchen realising that, when I considered it further, it did make sense. These guys went out all night patrolling according to Mikey so that must mean they slept during the day. What was it called...nocturnal? Huh...

The dojo was another room I hadn't set foot in yet but Mikey had included it during his tour back when I'd been here months ago so the sight of the massive tree growing at the far end of the room didn't surprise me. It was still damn impressive though. Underneath it Master Splinter had been waiting for me, motioning me over and indicating I should join him on the floor. What had followed was what felt like hours of me sitting cross legged and awkwardly facing a giant rat while trying not to fall asleep from boredom as I followed his calm, monotonous instructions to 'breathe deeply and find my centre'. The lingering tension between us hadn't helped bring on the relaxation I was hoping for and I'd been really really glad when he'd announced the session was over but my happiness was short lived when he then followed this by telling me we'd be back to try again tomorrow night. He had read my face easily, a slight frown pulling his brows together as he admonished gently "These skills take time to master, it would be foolish to expect perfect results the first time. Patience. Practice. Persistence. These will carry you to your goal."

I was pulled from my thoughts as I found myself once again facing the glass tank that contained Timothy the Pulveriser. My aimless wanderings had brought me straight back to the mutant that had at first horrified me but I now found fascinating. "Hi." Our eyes met and I gave a small, awkward wave. It was hard to believe that this jar of organs used to be a person and I wondered if he was even aware of what was happening outside his little prison. His huge eyes blinked at me slowly and his mouth came up to bat at the glass clumsily. The lips, teeth and tongue were all somehow held together by a pocket of skin that was attached to a pulsing pink tube that wound it's way, snake like, back into the jumble of the guys exposed guts. It was incredibly gross and cool at the same time. I cocked my head to the side, leaned closer until my nose was pressed to the glass and mused out loud "Why would anyone volunteer to have that goop come anywhere near them?" I shuddered as I remembered my own time in a similar tank and felt sorry for him, at least I had gotten out of mine. Another small splash as Timothy moved around in his green stew was my only response and I shrugged "You are either totally dumb or totally brave dude." I straightened and shrugged my shoulders "Maybe both?"

I gave the Pulveriser one last look then set off again, this time making a bee line for the section of the lab that looked more like a garage. Excitement quickened my steps as I went, this should be good. The little go carts and red motorbike were interesting but I was drawn most of all by the large hulking shape of some kind of truck which loomed invitingly in the far corner. It was huge and rectangular and when I got close enough I saw that it was actually an old subway car. My eyebrows shot to my hairline. Someone, presumably Donatello, had converted an old subway car into some kind of monster truck. Cool! I walked around it slowly to get a better look. It's back wheels were so large they looked like they belonged on a tractor but the front ones were much smaller, I bet this thing had some power and could go fast. I used one of the huge back wheels to haul myself up and get a better look at what was welded to the roof of the car. Turned out to be a massive cannon of some kind and there was a skylight behind it where I assumed someone could pop up and start shooting. I grinned and jumped down, finishing off my appraisal by standing in front of the monstrosity and admiring the giant metal scoop on the front. It seemed to have been salvaged from some kind of front end loader and it looked like it would be perfect for removing obstacles from the path of the modified truck. Maybe even smash through walls. Scrawled across the top of the carriage above the windscreen was the word _Shellraiser_. Awesome name!

"Sick." I said approvingly, wondering how hard it would be to get inside and have a look around. I was just searching the side of the Shellraiser to see if there was some kind of lever to open the doors when a bang from behind had me nearly jumping out of my skin. Reflexively I dropped to a crouch and sank back into the shadows that pooled behind the subway cars massive back tyre. Clomping footsteps and angry muttering reached my ears and I realised quickly that it was Donatello returning from patrol. I sank further back into my hiding place, seemed as though tonight hadn't gone well, the turtle was grumbling to himself in a constant stream and I decided I was much better off staying hidden for the moment than risk him turning his bad mood on me.

The sound of things being slammed around joined the grumbling and I risked a peep around the edge of the Shellraiser. Donny was rifling through the clutter on his desk, for a moment his shell blocked my view but when he moved I immediately saw that there was a new canister of mutagen sitting on the workspace. The turtles must have been lucky tonight after all, that mutagen was hard to find according to the brainy turtle, so why was he so pissed off?

Donny was in full swing now, picking up a screwdriver and waving it in the air as he raised his voice a little and began directing his angry rant to Timothy. "Ridiculous! And they were _swinging_ together!" he scoffed loudly, turning over something square in his palm as he pulled up a stool to his bench and plonked himself down.

"And the way she looked at him. Can you believe it? She gave him that look, like this..." I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle as Donny lifted a muscled green shoulder and turned his head to rest his chin on it as he opened his eyes impossibly wide and fluttered his eyelids as though batting his eyelashes. The pose was incredibly silly on a muscled green mutant turtle. He held the look for a moment before allowing his scowl to drop back in place, slapping the cover back on the box he held in his large palm and tightening the screws with jerks of his wrist. "Ugh, why was she even with him? Because he's _human_ that's why. Do you know how many people are human?"

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, only feeling a little guilty that I was overhearing a rant that was Donny venting about April and some guy she was hanging with. Obviously mutagen wasn't the only thing he'd stumbled across tonight.

"I'm almost done with your voice box." Donatello's voice was softer now, more like his usual tone. Figured he couldn't stay mad for long. There was a scrape as the stool was once again moved and soft clanking sounds of metal on metal. "How's that?"

"_Speaking to you Donny_?" I started in surprise as a new voice spoke up, stilted and garbled.

Donny's voice rose triumphantly "Hey it works! _Ha ha_! Let's see April's boyfriend design something like _this_!"

The pulveriser spoke again, tinny and slow "_I like April Donny_."

Donatello sighed heavily "Yeah, you and me both Pulveriser. I just have to face it, she'll never want to be friends again." He turned back to face my hiding place as he reached for the new canister of mutagen and began prying off the lid.

"Donatello, I would like to see you for a moment." Donny and I both jerked our heads around to see the turtles sensei standing in the door to the lab, a very serious look on his face as he leant on his staff with both paws.

Don stood up immediately and crossed to the doorway. "What is it Sensei?" His voice was curious as they both disappeared from sight.

I stayed where I was for a few moments to make sure they were gone. I really didn't want to get caught in here so I listened intently to make sure the coast was clear. The vague sounds of tinned laughter drifted to me from the tv in the next room and I thought I could hear some clanging sounds from the kitchen but otherwise it was quiet. I needed to get out of here before someone, namely Mikey, realised I was missing from my room. I rose hesitantly from my crouch.

I'd just decided to take my chances and had made it halfway across the lab back to the door when a weird sucking noise started up behind me. I cringed, shoulders hunching for a moment before I slowly turned around. The gaping toothy mouth I had been studying before was now thrashing about on it's weird pink stem as it devoured the last of the contents of the mutagen canister. As I watched with wide eyes it licked up the final drops of green then wound itself up, reeling back into the bottom of Timothy's glass tube and disappearing with a slimy gurgle. I turned fully around, jaw dropping, as two huge green arms punched their way out of the sides of the container followed by an equally pair of green muscly looking legs from the bottom.

"_Must find April_." The Pulveriser grunted with effort through his metal voice box as he scrabbled for purchase with his new legs, there was the squeal of twisting metal then several pops as the bolts holding the giant glass tube to the wall gave way and freed Timothy. "_Where is April O'Neil_?!"

"Ho-ly _shit_!" My voice drew the mutants attention but I was too shocked to do anything except stare in amazement as he took a few wobbly steps towards me. "I was _not_ expecting you to do that."

Timothy stopped in front of me and blinked a few times, eyes quivering on their stalks as they studied me closely. "_Human dress like April_." He said finally "_Human help find April_?"

"What?" The first stirring of unease flittered through me at the mutants question. What was it with this April chick anyway and why was every guy I'd heard about lately going nuts over her? "I dunno," I held my hands up placatingly, taking a step backwards towards the door "don't you think we should go get Donny first so he can take a look at you? This is a pretty big deal, new voice and limbs in one day. Maybe..."

"_NO_!" One of his green hands shot out and clasped itself around my torso, "_Not Donny. April MY friend_!"

I gasped as he lifted me from the floor, ribs creaking painfully in his grip until I was forced to push against his huge green hands in an effort to try to lift myself up and relieve the pressure. "Take it easy." I groaned.

"_Human help find April_!" His voice held a definite note of threat to it this time.

"Ok! Alright!" I panted, immediately his grip loosened a little and I groaned in relief. "Jeez...don't squeeze me again ok? Donny said she was swinging with some guy, probably at a park like in the photo he showed me right? Why don't you start looking there?"

"_April...swing_." The mutant turned and began pacing unsteadily towards the rear wall of the lab.

"Hey!" I started wriggling once more which only prompted him to grasp me tighter again "_Ow_! Put me down! You don't have to take me..."

I was cut off by the need to throw my arms up to cover my head as he raised one ginormous hand and literally punched his way through the brick wall. I coughed as dust and chips of brick covered me in a cloud...

* * *

_I know I know, cliffhangers :) More very soon!_

_Fun fact, the milkcrate wardrobe I described is exactly like the one my parents built for themselves when they moved into their first flat together in the mid 70's. They were very young and pretty poor but went on to buy their first house a few years later. A nod to their creativeness!_


	18. Mutagen Man

_Here we are! And only a few days later as promised :) Welcome to my new followers it's awesome to have you along for the ride xo_

_BubbleEwa glad you liked my last entry! I'm pretty keen to hear what you think of the action in this chapter :) I don't really know why I decided to use Mutagen Man Unleashed because I'm a bit the same as you, it's definitely not one of my faves. It just seemed to work though._

_Tootsie7655 Did it go where you were expecting? Hopefully I'm not too predictable ;)_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but Scarlett_

* * *

I made a fist and brought it down onto Timothy's hand as hard as I could, the green substance he was made from wobbled a little like putrid green jelly and I tried not to gag. "Put me down." I hissed angrily for the millionth time in the last half hour. Although we'd made it to street level in a surprisingly short amount of time, (turned out that Donatello's lab backed straight into an old service tunnel that provided fairly quick above ground access), it felt like we'd been wandering around looking for the elusive April for ages. I hadn't immediately recognised the area we'd popped out into, it was residential and fairly quiet and I'd had about two seconds to appreciate being in the great outdoors again before the mutant holding me had begun stomping around with earth shaking clomps and generally wrecking havoc. I was angry and sore and tired of being dragged about like a doll while random people we came across screamed and pointed.

The wailing of sirens that were a near constant backdrop in this city sharpened gradually then became almost deafening as a police cruiser screeched to a halt in the middle of the street, blocking our way. I renewed my efforts to get away, struggling even harder as two car doors slammed open "Seriously Timothy, let me go! I so do not need to get mixed up with cops right now!"

"_Must find April O'Neil_!" This announcement by the mutant was met with a fresh eruption of screams from the people on the street. Most of those still out and about at this time of night had already fled in terror as soon as they had gotten a good look at the Pulveriser but the sound of his voice convinced the few stragglers they were better off making a run for it.

"What...what is it Jim?"

"Some kind of granola crunching hippy Bill!" The two cops had gotten out of their car and were sizing us up. The tall one with the pimp moustache whipped his glasses off theatrically and squinted at me. "And it has a hostage! Are you ok kid?"

"_Police help find April_!" I winced as Timothy shouted again through his new voice box. Donny was really going to have to turn the volume down on that thing.

I ignored the pain in my ribs and began kicking madly as the two officers left the safety of their cruiser, pulling out their nightsticks and advancing quickly towards us with their arms raised ready to attack. "Jesus Timothy, are you stuck on repeat? Shut up about April already and let me _go_!" I managed to hook my hand under one of his huge fingers and begin prying it up but it was too late.

"Stop right where you are...whatever you are!" The cops descended on Timothy and began beating him roughly. "Put your hands on your head!" One of them demanded then paused with a confused look at his partner "I mean...jar..." before leaping forward again.

One blow caught the mutant across the front of his glass container with a resounding _thwong_ that send vibrations all the way up his arm and into me making my teeth rattle. At the same time another blow crashed into the side of his green knee and caused it to give out. Timothy flailed wildly as he tried to keep his balance. I let out an involuntary squeal as the world spun around me sickeningly, then I was flying through the air as the mutant finally let go of me. I hit the concrete hard, bouncing a few times until I rolled to a stop on the sidewalk. I lifted my head and peered through my dishevelled hair to see that the Pulveriser had finally been knocked to the ground.

"_Puny humans...hurt ME_?" Timothy's voice took on a whole new level of menace as he glared at the cops with his stalk eyes. Amazing feat considering his lack of eyebrows.

I scrambled to my feet then immediately had to duck again as a trash can went whizzing past my head and smashed into the window of the shop I was cowering next to. A moment later the cop with the pimpstash became airborne for a few seconds, landing with a crunch on the windshield of his car. I took a quick look around then decided to seek shelter through the broken window of the shop, my fastest option for getting out of sight quickly. My borrowed yellow shirt caught on the jagged glass on the way through and I swore as I felt it tear. I carefully crouched amongst the shards on the floor and peeped over the sill.

"So what will I tell dispatch Bill? There's a bottle of goo with arms and legs on the loose?" The scrawny cop was tugging at the arm of his partner as he helped him unpeel himself from the front of their cruiser. Timothy was nowhere in sight. I huffed in disbelief, so much for needing my help to find April. I bobbed up and peered around the street as much as I dared but the mutant had gone, he had made a pretty fast escape considering his size. I slithered backwards away from the window, dodging obstacles, until I was lost amongst the shelves and stands. I stood up, confident I wouldn't be seen from the street, and brushed myself off a little, grimacing down at my clothes as I felt how tattered they were.

"Oh this is just _great_." I muttered angrily to myself. Why was it so hard for me to keep clothes in one piece? The shirt formally known as April's had a massive tear up the side, I tugged at it angrily then let out a frustrated growl when it flopped back open exposing most of my torso. The jean shorts were ok but the leggings had huge rips in both knees. And not the cool kind I could pass off as deliberate.

I held the ripped t-shirt together with one hand and shoved my hair out of my eyes with the other as I looked around the shop. Immediately a huge grin split my face. "No way." I spun on the spot, absorbing all the goodies laid out before me. "_No_ _way_!" It was like all my birthdays had come at once. I was in a skate shop, small but stocked to the ceiling. All angry thoughts about policemen, mutants and a certain April O'Neil fled as I practically started drooling. "This is awesome!"

* * *

"Remind me why we are bringing Mr Personality here back to the lair?" Raph glared at Timothy who was sprawled out on the floor of the Shellraiser, then at Donny who was seated across from him scanning the tank of green goo with a worried expression.

His brother met his gaze straight on, brown eyes brimming with regret and sadness making it really hard for Raph to stay irritated with his little brother. "What he did isn't his fault. It's mine, he was lonely. All my April talk made him want a friend." Donatello ran a hand over his bald head "But more importantly Timothy's DNA could be the key to retro mutagen. I could cure April's dad and him."

"Oh no..." All three older turtles snapped their attention back to Mikey at the sound of his groan, he was crouched on the floor next to the newly renamed Mutagen Man eyes wide as he watched the green liquid in Timothy's jar turn an even darker shade. A moment later the back doors of the Shellraiser were flung open and the squeal of tyres cut the night when Leo brought the old subway car to a screeching halt. The brothers gaped in shocked surprise as Timothy charged back down the street away from them.

"I thought he was out cold!" Raph's voice was rough with renewed impatience.

"We split up and find him." Leo said resignedly.

Donny's voice was resigned as he pointed out "There's no need to split up, we know where he's headed."

* * *

By the time I'd finished my quick bout of 'shopping' I was in the best mood of my entire life. Talk about a kid in a candy store! I added one last shirt to my haul then rounded the sales counter, my intention was to slip out the back door and avoid all the fuss out the front but then my eyes fell on the cash register. I hesitated, debating. There probably wasn't much in it considering most transactions were digital, plus the shop was closed up for the night which meant banking had most likely already been done, but I chewed on my lip anyway as I considered. A tiny thread of guilt wound it's way through me and I shuffled my feet as I hefted my new backpack further up onto my shoulder. I'd already taken a fair amount of stuff, nothing that couldn't be covered by the same insurance claim they would have to make on the window anyway I hurriedly reassured myself, but prying open their register and wrecking it in the process, that was probably a bit too much. I shook my head to myself, tightened my grip on the skateboard I'd liberated from their wall display and kept going without touching anything else, leaving behind ripped black leggings and a tattered yellow t-shirt with weird burn marks dotting it.

Five minutes later I was in the back ally and making my way around the crime scene which was now buzzing with more red and blue lights. I cut back to the main road, pretty sure Timothy had charged this way earlier as he made his escape, which made it my best shot of finding him again. Not that I knew what I would do when I found him...maybe watch a blossoming romance develop between him and April? I sniggered to myself and shook my head.

Once I was far enough away from the looted skate shop I paused so I could push my other arm through the strap of the backpack and adjust it until it fit comfortably on my back. I dropped the board on the ground and rolled it back and forth a few times to get a feel for the wheels, admiring it for a moment. It was a blood red Vision board with 'Go Skate or Go Home' scrawled across it in black. I loved it already, just like I loved the purple skate shoes I was wearing, the tight dark denim jeans with black leather patches on the knees and the loose white t-shirt with WHAT? emblazoned across the front. I felt that the shirt in particular most accurately reflected my recent mental state. I hadn't been able to resist snagging a few braided bracelets from the display case, the shop had even had a small swimwear section so I now kinda had underwear in the form of a black bikini. The tan coloured backpack I'd liberated was crammed with enough stuff that I was pretty confident I wouldn't have to borrow anything of April's again thank god. I hadn't even met the chick and I was thoroughly sick of hearing about her let alone looking and smelling like her.

I grinned happily to myself, feeling like myself for the first time in forever, and pushed off on my new wheels, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the cool night air rushing over my skin. I was a few blocks into my journey and just considering that I might need to get myself a coat, (I realised it was starting to feel like winter but I had no idea what month it was let alone day of the week), when a guy coming the other way caught my eye. It wasn't seeing another person that snagged my attention, it was the way this particular person was staring at me. I made brief eye contact with him then dropped my gaze back to the pavement trying to ignore him. He was on foot pushing along an rattly old bike but had stopped to stare as I got closer. I risked another peek and saw he was full on glaring at me now with narrowed eyes. I narrowed my eyes right back at him then kept skating past, trying to remain casual. What the hell was this guy's problem?

"Hey!" I was so startled by his shout that I looked back at him over my shoulder instead of ignoring him. He was now standing in the middle of the pavement facing me with his hands on his hips, his bike lay next to him on its side where he'd dropped it. "Yeah you! I wanna ask you something."

Curiosity got the better of me. I stopped, flipping my board up so it stood on one end and I could balance it with the tips of my fingers. "Yeah?" I said slowly, intrigued. This was the first conversation I'd had with another human in a long time and it felt weird.

"You gonna pay for all that stuff?" He stabbed a finger at me and his mouth tightened in an angry line.

I tried to keep my face straight as fear twisted my gut. Was this guy a mind reader or something? There was no way he could know I'd stolen all of this, he was coming from the opposite direction to the skate shop so wouldn't have passed it yet. I took a moment to gather my wits, looking him over as I thought about what to say. He was a teenager, probably only a year or two older than me, tall and lanky with limbs that looked too long for his body. He had dark hair tied back with a black bandana. His jeans, shoes, black vest and long sleeved grey shirt were all spattered with small flicks of paint in a wild rainbow of colours. He looked like a punk.

"What are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow at him, looking him up and down with a deliberate sneer as I cocked a hip and planted a fist on it. "Pay for what stuff?"

"All that stuff you obviously just stole." He smirked at me as he sauntered forward and I cursed myself when I realised my mouth was dangling open in surprise. He _did_ know, how the hell..? "It's pretty obvious if you're paying attention and Casey Jones is always paying attention when scum is on the streets."

I scowled at him as he came to a stop in front of me, tilting my chin back so I could glare up into his eyes. "Did you just call me scum?" I growled. "And refer to yourself in the third person?"

"You heard me," he reached out and I couldn't jerk back in time to stop him from snagging something off the sleeve of my new t-shirt. "I count at least five of these hanging off you." he casually tossed the small circle of cardboard he'd just plucked off me and I caught it on reflex. Looking down I groaned inwardly as I saw the sales label from my shirt with the price tag still attached.

"I saw all those cop cars going past, something big just went down." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the sirens that were still wailing in the background. "Everything you are wearing and carrying is brand new and obviously stolen, I'd bet my hockey mask on it." When I looked up again the guy had his face barely an inch from mine, I noticed as he started speaking again that he was missing at least two, maybe more, of his front teeth. "Casey Jones doesn't tolerate crime in his city, he stamps it out..." he paused to squint at me "...even if it's a girl. Justice is an equal opportunist you know."

"Seriously?" I shoved at the guy hard with my free hand and smirked when he stumbled back a few steps with a surprised look. "What are you? Some kind of wannabe vigilante?" I took a few strides backwards to widen the space between us even further and dropped my new board to the ground, tightened the straps of my backpack a little more as I tensed in preparation to run. "Whatcha gonna do, try and hand me over to the cops?"

"Maybe, if you're lucky that's all I'll do." He also moved backwards and I was surprised for a second until I realised he was headed for his bike. "And I'm warning you, me and my bike have already taken down one giant green monster tonight. I can totally handle a law breaking two pint _girl_."

He clenched his fists when I laughed with much more bravado than I was feeling. Internally my brain scrambled, he'd come across Timothy already? What had happened? Instead of asking I taunted "Oh yeah? Gotta catch me first numb nuts" and flipped him off as I leaped onto my board and took off as fast as I could.

"Hey!" His angry shout faded behind me as I flew down the street. Luckily for me there was a downhill slant which helped me pick up speed as I began weaving in and out of obstacles along the pavement. Lamp poles, trash cans and pedestrians flashed past in an increasing blur, I heard more than one person shout after me in annoyance but didn't pay any notice. A few moments later I risked a glance over my shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't spot 'Casey Jones' anywhere behind me. The guy must be all talk and no show...literally. The smug grin slipped from my face when a car horn and screeching tyres caused me to look to my right. Apparently Casey Jones wasn't all talk, at the moment he was all pedal as he wove his way in and out of the light traffic keeping pace with me.

"Might as well stop now!" He yelled as he swerved around another taxi which blared it's horn angrily. "You can't shake me off that easy."

"In your dreams dickhead!" I tore my eyes off him and set my jaw grimly as I added a burst of speed. The board's wheels hummed over the pavement with a rhythmic clunk clunk clunk as I thought frantically about how I was going to shake this weirdo off. I wasn't too worried just yet but I was keenly aware that tonights proceedings kept veering further and further off track. I really wanted to loose this guy and find Timothy so I could convince him to come back to the lair and let Donny keep working on a cure. I just wanted to be back in my dull new bedroom, crazy things kept happening to me when I was topside.

My opportunity to escape came in the form of a city bus as it pulled up at a stop. The guy calling himself Casey Jones was forced to dodge around it street side which meant that for a few precious seconds he lost sight of me, teaming up nicely with the appearance of a narrow ally on my left. The instant the bus cut off Casey's line of sight I flipped up my board to catch it with one hand and bolted into the gap between buildings without slowing down. As fast as I could I shoved my board between my back and my bag so that the wheels hung over the bottom of the arm straps and left my hands free. Looking around quickly I saw that there was the usual collection of trash and a small dumpster but dismissed them immediately as too obvious to hide behind. I craned my neck and looked up, happy to see that the building on my right wasn't too high, maybe only three stories.

I had just managed to jump high enough to catch the bottom of the lowest fire escape and pull myself up into it's protective cover when I heard his voice. "You down here little thief?" For the second time that night I cringed back into the shadows and held my breath as I tried not to be seen. I watched silently as Casey made his way into the ally sitting astride his bike and wheeling himself along by walking it with just his toes on the ground. He must have doubled back pretty quickly when he lost me. I could see the top of his head swivelling back and forth as he searched. He stopped just under me and the whole city seemed to go into slow motion. I kept myself perfectly still, taking deep slow breathes and relaxing my body as much as I could. Seconds ticked by while I silently pleaded with him not to look up. At last he let out an irritated sigh "Balls!" and wheeled his bike around. Watching him go I huffed a small laugh and let a smirk stretch my lips.

"Dumbass." I whispered gleefully. "Didn't even think to look up." I rose from my crouch, wincing as my bag scraped against the wall behind me and shooting a worried look towards the mouth of the ally. I considered lowering myself back down to ground level but then decided that the risk finding Casey Jones waiting for me around the corner was too high. The only other option was to continue climbing.

I made short work of the remaining distance by using the fire escape, sighing in relief when I finally clambered over the side of the wall and stepped onto the roof. I shrugged the heavy bag off my shoulders to give my back a break as I looked around wondering what to do next. I was still facing the direction Casey Jones had come from, which was where the Pulverisor had gone, so I guess I needed to keep going that way. I'd covered a lot of ground on my mad dash to escape the boy idiot so hopefully Timothy wasn't too far ahead of me. I strained my ears to see if I could hear the telltale sound of screaming which followed the mutant everywhere he went but then cocked my head when I caught the faint sound of something else instead. Shouting. It sounded like a fight was going on nearby.

Picking up my bag again and gripping my new board under my arm I crossed the roof as quietly as I could until I reached the next gap between buildings. The shouts were getting louder now, I heard someone yell "EW! Man hands!" and shook my head in disbelief when I recognised Mikey's voice. The enraged roar that followed was definitely Timothy's poor voice box getting overused again. The turtles must have found their missing tube of goo and were currently trying to get it back under control.

As I neared the far edge of the building and looked down I immediately made out a familiar hulking shape shrouded in the shadows below me. From the top all I could really see was that it was huge and rectangular but it was the distinctive canon mounted on top that gave it away. I grinned, unable to believe my luck, it was the Shellraiser and from the scuffling sounds I could hear someone was inside it. I made my way down the side of the building using a service ladder and dropped to the ground, my shoes made slight scuffing sounds as I approached the open door of the turtles monster truck but whoever was inside wouldn't be able to hear me over the sounds of their search.

Peeking around the side of the open door I grinned even wider when I saw the back of Donny's shell, he was on his hands and knees searching frantically under one of the seats as he grumbled to himself. I pulled myself up into the van and lent on the edge of the door with my arms crossed while I watched him curiously.

"Ah hah!" the turtle straightened with a triumphant cry then turned quickly to make his way out of the van. His eyes widened when he caught sight of me blocking the doorway and he let out a "_Gah_!" as he nearly dropped the canisters of mutagen he was holding.

The pure terror on his face was too much and I burst out laughing, "It's just me Donny!" I held my hands out in a non threatening gesture.

"Scarlett?" His whole body slumped in relief "What the..? I didn't recognise...I thought you were...you scared the _shell_ offa me!" He narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. "Where did you get those clothes?" Even before he finished the question he was shaking his head and pushing past me out of the van. "Doesn't matter, we are having a serious issue with Timothy. C'mon!"

Lips pursed in amusement I once again shrugged my backpack off and tossed it onto the nearest seat in the van followed quickly by my skateboard. Then I leapt down from the Shellraiser and hightailed it to catch up to Donny who had already disappeared around the corner at the end of the ally. Putting on a burst of speed I managed to be right on his heels as we reached the end of another narrow laneway and burst around the final corner into a shadowed loading bay between buildings. I skidded to a stop, obediantly crouching behind the bonnet of a car next to Donatello when he tugged on my arm and held a finger to his lips. Timothy was standing in the middle of the bay looking around wildly as if searching for something, but there was no one around.

_Shink shink shink_ Three silver flashes sparked off the metal rim of the Pulverisers container causing him to flinch away. I craned my neck to see where they had come from but the area still seemed deserted.

"_Turtles gone_?" The poor guy sounded puzzled and angry.

Out of nowhere there was a blur of green and red as Raph launched himself down at the mutant. His sai's crashed across the front of Timothy's tank and sent him staggering sideways but when he whirled to face the turtle he'd vanished again.

"Over here mutagen man!" Mikey's voice called out from the shadows beside an access door. When Timothy charged over to smash at the lump there it was only a bag of trash went crashing to the side, spilling it's guts across the ground.

"No! Over here!" This time it was Leo's voice coming from the other side of the bay, seemingly from the darkness underneath a metal balcony. Again Timothy rushed over to investigate only to find nothing there.

Beside me I sensed movement and turned my head to see that Donny had left the cover of the car to take a few steps towards the mutant while he had his back turned. "Look Timothy," the purple banded turtle said coaxingly "mutagen!" he waved a canister enticingly "That's right, this way." Donny kept backing up, drawing Timothy further away from the street and towards where the Shellraiser was parked around the corner. "Come closer..."

"_More mutagen_!" The brainy turtle was so intent on coaxing Timothy forward that he let the guy get way too close. One huge green hand shot out and struck Donny so hard he crashed heavily into the brick wall, the canisters of mutagen flew from his hands and immediately the Pulveriser pounced on them.

"No!" Donny held a hand up pleadingly as he staggered to his feet "Don't drink it!"

"_Donny_..." the goop in Timothy's tank started to make cracking noises as it changed from a moss green to a light blue colour "_somethings_..._wrong_..." his voice became choked as white lines of frost sprung up on the outside of the glass. The light blue travelled up his arm until every inch of the mutant was frozen solid.

Just like that everything stilled. A few tense moments passed before I stood up from my hiding place slowly, letting out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding. Donatello's face was heartbroken as he stared dejectedly at the frozen statue in front of him. "I'm so sorry Timothy." I heard him mutter as he reached a hand out to touch the frosted glass.

* * *

_You guys have to let me know what you think of the way I use existing episodes of the show. I feel like just rewriting an existing episode and shoving my OC in there is too..I dunno, boring?... so I enjoy telling the existing story from a different perspective. It does heavily rely on the reader having seen the original show though otherwise they may get really confused._


	19. Repercussions

_Nearly three weeks has passed and I just need to get this chapter OUT! I've been working on it so long I honestly can't tell if it's any good...sorry if it isn't...I'm actually pretty worried you guys are going to hate it!_

_Thanks for your review BubbleEwa, I can always count on you to leave a comment :) I'm glad you liked the action in the last chapter and what you said about Casey really had me thinking, I absolutely love the 1990 movie version of his character and its a shame I slipped into the 2012 one where he is annoying and weird. Maybe his personality gets better as he ages?_

_Please review! I have lots of readers but not much feedback!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC Scarlett_

* * *

It had been a short, cramped ride back to the lair in the Shellraiser which was big, but not quite big enough to comfortably accommodate an enormous frozen tank of goo with arms and legs stuck out at weird, stiff angles. The waves of cold emanating from Mutagen Man had been strong enough to make me draw my legs up onto my seat to get away from him. I hadn't been the only one feeling it either, every now and then one of the turtles would tremble as shivers wracked their bodies too.

During the ride I had distracted myself from my discomfort by checking out the interior of the van which was pretty much as awesome as I had imagined it would be. All the original carriage seats had been removed and instead old car seats had been installed so that each of the brothers could sit in comfort at his own station. After watching for a few minutes I could pretty much tell which brother controlled what aspect of their ride. Leonardo was up front controlling the vehicle with a huge steering wheel that looked like it had come from a big rig. Donatello's station was built into the side of van, he had the largest console which included two screens and a huge computer board. Everything in front of the brainy turtle either blipped, hummed or whooshed as it fed him a constant stream of data. Raph and Mikey shared the back of the van where two more screens were mounted. Mikey had a GPS feed on his, that was easy enough to work out thanks to the maps on display, but I couldn't tell what Raph's station was for because it was all dark. Instead he sat sideways in his seat and alternated between frowning at Mutagen Man and shooting glarey little looks at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Donatello was also sitting sideways on his seat keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Timothy, brow furrowed in deep thought.

After Donny had reluctantly taken Timothy out with the freeze mutagen there'd been general confusion as Mikey started peppering me with questions about where I'd been, Donatello stressed loudly about how to get Mutagen Man back to the van and Leonardo hustled us along, worried about being out in the open. Raph had stubbornly continued to keep up the pretence that I didn't exist in general but I could tell how hard it was for him by the vein pulsing on his forehead as he ground his teeth. He'd obviously wanted to yell at me but instead solved everyone's issues by grabbing the frozen mutant by the leg and dragging him unceremoniously away as Donny's squarks went up a notch. I'd found myself herded back towards the van and tersely told to 'stay put' by Leo as if I was a child. I'd squinted at him but he'd simply turned away with the firm promise that I was going to give an explanation once we were back in the lair. Just the thought had my stomach plummeting, I really hadn't considered that I would need to account for my whereabouts or activities over the last few hours.

As soon as Leo brought the Shellraiser to a stop in Donny's lab I'd unfurled myself quickly, snatched up my backpack and board from under the seat where I'd hidden them and darted out of the Shellraiser to make a bee line for my room. I suppose it had been way too much to hope that the turtles, Raph in particular, wouldn't notice my new loot but an incredulous "What the..?" from the red banded turtle followed by Leo calling my name warningly set me straight. I ignored them both.

Now here I was, sitting on my bed in my dingy little room and picking at the same loose thread as before as though the last few hours hadn't happened at all. I had been expecting one of the turtles to follow me but by now at least half an hour had passed and still no one had appeared. I huffed and flopped sideways so I could lie on my back and stare at the ceiling. The bare bulb there shone in my eyes so I threw an arm over my eyes to block it. With my vision darkened my hearing immediately took up the slack. Through my open doorway I could hear a mix of sounds coming from the rest of the lair. Loudest was a rhythmic thumping sound combined with the rattle of chains that sounded so familiar it sparked a feeling of homesickness. Fists on canvas. Someone *cough Raph cough* was flogging the hell out of a punching bag and, if I focussed hard enough, I could almost believe it was Hayden I could hear and I was just goofing off in the gym while he worked out. From further away was the hollow echo of clattering cutlery, pots and pans. Another someone was in the kitchen and seeing as Mikey was the bringer of food I guessed it was him. Behind all that was the faint sound of Leo and Donny talking to each other. Their conversation was peppered with the occasional grunt but apart from that I couldn't make out any words, they were probably working together to get Timothy back out of the Shellraiser. In all it was pretty impressive how well sound travelled through the lair, the only person I couldn't hear was Splinter.

After a while I removed my arm from my face and instead lazily lifted my feet into the air until my shoes blocked the glare from the light. Now I could also admire my new footwear, I really did like the shade of purple. Studying them made me think of all the items I'd stuffed into the backpack back at the skate shop. The bag I'd lugged out of there was so full I could barely do up the zipper. I frowned as I noticed a price tag was still hanging from the lace of my shoe, bending my knee so I could reach I ripped it off then let that leg fall back to the bed with a thump followed closely by the other one. Sitting up I yawned as I pulled my bag back out from under the bed from where I'd hidden it and hauled it up to sit beside me. The sound it made as I unzipped it seemed loud in the small space and I paused, cringing guiltily for a moment to see if it had attracted anyone's attention. A few seconds of nothing and I relaxed then began pulling items from the bag. T-shirts, long sleeved shirts, yoga pants, jeans, leggings and a whole heap of other items including a spare pair of shoes all emerged like clowns from a mini minor. After only a few minutes the bed was strewn with awesome new loot and I grinned happily. Another minute after that and I'd stashed them either in my 'wardrobe' or makeshift bedside table. I sat back on my bed again and chewed my lip as I realised I still needed a heap of stuff, like a toothbrush and deodorant for a start. Hopefully I could even replace my phone and iPod at some point. All this had come from Hayden before but now no big brother also meant no funds or freebies, I was going to have to get creative at some point to acquire what I needed. I kept worrying at my lip as I looked towards my open bedroom door, I still had yet to see what the brothers were going to say about what I'd already accumulated...

Well, no use hiding any longer, obviously their diabolical plan was to ignore me until I was flushed out by starvation or boredom. I've never been very good at being ignored let alone going hungry so, score one to the mutant turtles, I was forced to leave the safety of my room. I levered myself off the bed and crept to the doorway to peek out. The coast was clear so I continued creeping along the hallway until I reached the corner and could do a scan of the lair. And of course there was Raphael at one end of the huge room beating the crap out of a punching bag just as I'd thought. He had his shell to me and was far enough away that I could probably just slip past unnoticed but curiosity got the better of me and I stopped to watch him for a few moments, he was really giving that thing hell. Even from here I could see the powerful muscles of his arms bunching and flexing as he lay into the bag, I would hate to be on the receiving end of one of those. All of a sudden Raph paused, his head turning slightly so that one glaring amber eye came into view, not actually looking at me because, you know, ignoring my existence, but the menace he managed to radiate over his shoulder was palpable. He must have felt my eyes on him or something, it was intense how much this guy disliked me. Even though I knew I was playing with fire I threw the angry turtle a little half wave "Don't forget leg day dude!" I called cheekily and in response he growled...actually _growled_. The sound was so unexpected I started with a squeak and took off towards the kitchen like a scared rabbit.

Ten seconds later I blew into the kitchen and skidded onto a stool so fast it tipped onto two legs for a moment before cracking back to the tiles. Mikey jumped at the noise then turned with a pair of tongs in his hand, blinking at me in surprise. I smiled brightly in return, willing the blush on my cheeks away and trying to pretend I hadn't just stormed the kitchen like a crazy person. My turtly provider of food was indeed in the middle of preparing yet another meal judging by the floral apron and awesome smell of bacon in the air.

"Hey there, you hungry or somethin?" He asked with a laugh, turning back to the pan when the loud hiss of hot fat drew his attention.

"Uh, yeah!" I said with mock sarcasm. "Got tired of waiting for my turtle servant to feed me and I'm starving."

Again there was a _look_ thrown over a green shoulder in my direction, this one was a lot friendlier than the last one I'd gotten though. Mikey huffed a laugh "Oh really? Turtle servant?" He used some tongs to turn the bacon then faced me with a thoughtful look. "I guess I can see how you might come to that conclusion, you being at the top of the food chain now and all." He waved the tongs at me with an exaggerated frown "Just keep in mind though that he who makes the tasty food has direct access to the stomach and it's a short trip from there to the heart so I'm told." He lowered his brow at me and leered threateningly "Or the bowels if someone were to get a little to big for her boots and...I dunno...come down with a little case of gastro maybe?"

"Oh ew!" I laughed "I'll be good!" He winked at me and turned back to the pan. After a few seconds I asked "Can I help?" in the hope of speeding up the process. I had only eaten once all day...or night depending on which way you looked at it.

"Actually yeah," Mikey motioned towards the fridge "I'm making BLT's for dinner, could you grab the lettuce and tomato then butter some rolls for me while I finish up with the bacon?"

"Yup." I slid back off the stool and got to it, the companionable silence between us stretching out as I did as he asked. As I began to finish up with my jobs I started noticing that Mikey was shooting me little looks every now and then like he wanted to say something. I brushed my hands off and sat back on my stool, propping my chin on my hand to study him curiously, yep he was totally about to ask me something.

"Crazy night huh?" He asked casually as he began the finishing touch of squirting mayo onto the sandwiches. "I kinda thought for a while there that you'd decided to bail on us after all."

_Oh_. I shifted awkwardly on my chair, the slight hint of hurt in his voice was so at odds with his lighthearted teasing earlier that the shift in mood caught me flat footed. Mikey was studying me, waiting for me to answer, but when I struggled for the right words to say he shook his head with a small smile and crossed to the threshold of the kitchen to holler "Grubs up!" out into the lair.

I took a deep breath "Mikey..."

* * *

"There," Donny stepped back and shook off his modified welding gloves "that should hold him."

Leo peeled off his own pair that had been protecting him from the bone numbing waves of cold and dubiously eyed the newly reattached tube containing a frozen Timothy "You sure?" He caught Donatello's disgruntled look and moved over to sling an arm around his shoulders. "Sorry, habit. Of course you're sure." He began steering his brainy brother towards the door, ignoring his token struggle to return to Mutagen Man and begin another experiment on God knows what. "Food Donny, Mikey is making food. I'm told brains need it."

In response to Leo's gentle teasing Donatello finally cracked a small smile. "Ok, but after that I've got to check some stuff and get some work done."

"It's pretty late already, can't it just wait until morning?" Leo questioned gently then sighed when Donny just gave him another sideways glance. "Fine, do what you gotta do."

As they entered the lounge pit area and came level with Raphael they paused and gave him twin annoyed looks. "You know we really could have used your help in there Raph." Leo pointed out bluntly. "Timothy is even heavier now than he was six months ago."

Raph gave the bag one last hit then turned to face them. Leo noticed straight away that the lines of tension had eased a little around his mouth and eyes. "I did my bit dragging Moron Mans sorry butt into the Shellraiser for you." His brother's voice was still low and irritated, the punching bag had absorbed some of the red banded turtles mood but there was still a lot of anger bubbling away in there. "If the two of you can't handle propping him up against the wall by yourselves then you probably need to ask Splinter about extra training or somethin."

"_Grubs up_!"

All three of them turned at the sound of Mikey's voice. By mutual agreement the turtles dropped their snipey conversation and headed towards the kitchen just in time to catch the tail end of a conversation between Michelangelo and Scarlett "...c'mon Mikey, I told Splinter I'd stay to try and sort myself out and I meant it." She was talking fast and earnestly while their little brother listened and dished out the food. He nodded to them briefly as they took up places around the island bench, eyes filled with a mix of speculation and hurt when he looked back at Scarlett.

"I didn't mean to leave the lair tonight, honest! Timothy just grabbed me." Scarlett ignored the plate in front of her and scanned the green faces around the bench with a pleading look, only dropping her eyes when she saw Raph's hard face.

Mikey propped himself up against the fridge while he weighed Scarlett's words, arms crossed over his chest while he studied her closely. "Mutagen Man kidnapped you?" He asked finally, curiosity overtaking his momentary bout of hurt feelings. When Scarlett nodded so furiously that her fringe fell in her eyes a grin broke out over his face and he moved forward to pull out a stool.

"Yeah," Scarlett said earnestly to the youngest turtle "the nutjob insisted I help him find April. I told him I didn't want to go but he's crazy strong and started squashing me when I argued so I went along with it. I didn't even have time to call out before he was smashing through the wall and charging off." She looked plaintively around the island bench again, this time studiously skipping over Raphael. "He totally King Konged me!"

"Ok Scarlett, we believe you didn't leave on purpose." Leo reassured her soothingly "But..."

"What exactly were you doing in my lab unsupervised?" Donny's sharp question cut Leo off who raised his eye ridge in surprise. The tone his brainy brother was using was one usually reserved for Mikey. In fact the youngest turtle had started guiltily purely out of habit as soon as the first words left Donny's mouth. Scarlett blanched and bit her lip as she turned a sheepish gaze to Donatello, wilting a little at the hard look on his face. "I uh...got lost?" He narrowed his gaze at her and she ducked her head resignedly as she realised she was totally busted.

"Scarlett," he said reproachfully "my lab is a very dangerous place, you can't go in there by yourself. I've always got experiments running and lately most of them involve mutagen which is a highly volatile substance. You have first hand experience with that fact."

"I know." Her voice was small and defensive as her cheeks started to redden. Raphael paused with his sandwich halfway to his mouth to look between the two of them with interest, a small smirk starting to play around the corner of his lips.

"No one is allowed in there when I'm not around, Splinter doesn't even go in there without me. Even _Mikey_ knows to stay out." Donny sat back, ignoring his younger brother who let out an insulted huh? at the use of his name, and shook his head reproachfully. "Maybe I need to start locking the lab door..."

"Ok I get it." Scarlett huffed sulkily as she started picking at her food. "I just thought your inventions and stuff were cool. I wanted to get a closer look, I wasn't touching anything." Her long dark fringe had fallen in front of her face again and this time she left it there to hide her eyes as she pouted.

"Too many people have gotten hurt around us as it is," Donny's voice softened considerably and he waited until Scarlett reluctantly looked up at him at him, his face was as earnest as he said "just...wait for me next time ok?"

"Ok." She dropped her eyes again and muttered into her food. Raphael waited a few beats, still looking between the two of them expectantly, before letting out a disappointed sounding scoff and returning to his meal. Leo was giving Donny a bemused look, a smile quirking his lips.

After a few minutes Leo cleared his throat. "So, what happened after you left the lair?"

Scarlett shrugged but allowed herself to be coaxed back into describing her night. "That part wasn't too bad, Timothy just kinda stomped around yelling April's name and trying to get random strangers to tell him where she was. Then the cops turned up and started hitting him, there was a lot of yelling then I got thrown to the side. By the time I got up again he'd smashed up some shopfronts, wrecked the police cruiser and taken off without me."

"He's pretty good at destroying cars." Mikey said around a mouthful of bacon. "He threw one at us. Burst into flame and everything."

"Cool." She said shooting him a small smile.

"No it wasn't," Leo shook his head at both of them "April's boyfriend nearly saw us." He ignored Donny who let out a strangled sound of protest. "What happened then?"

"Well the clothes I was wearing got wrecked so I found some more..."

"Do I want to know where?" Now it was Leo's tone that was disapproving.

"Jeez," Scarlett groaned and dropped her head onto her hands "uh, no, I'm guessing not really."

* * *

An hour later Raphael sat in the dark of his bedroom and cracked his knuckles as he stared thoughtfully at the floor. Dinner had given him indigestion so he'd left the kitchen as soon as he'd finished eating muttering an excuse about going to bed early. The others had barely noticed, Mikey had them all laughing with a reenactment of the fight with Mutagen Man and even Don had cracked a few smiles at his antics. The atmosphere in the kitchen had lightened considerably as soon as they'd finished listening to Scarlett's recount of what had happened to her in the hours she'd been missing. She had tried to gloss over a few details, such as her new skateboard and clothes, but Leo had pinned her down and eventually gotten the full story from her. Even useless details like how some weird kid she'd bumped into on the street had hassled then chased her for some unknown reason until she shook him off. It was shortly after that he'd decided he would have to leave before he punched someone.

Raph grunted and pressed a hand to his plastron with a grimace as his stomach churned. He knew that it wasn't Mikey's cooking that had his guts twisted, his little brother's food was always great, not that he'd tell the brat in case his head got so big it exploded. No, his upset stomach was all thanks to _her_. How did she keep getting away with this crap? He scowled in frustration and rubbed at the bandage on his upper arm, Donny had insisted that the stitches weren't coming out for another couple of days and they itched like a bastard. Nothing had been said about her attack on him yesterday, unless he counted his brothers ripping into him about 'poor Scarlett' and how much he'd upset her. Nothing at all about the fact that, if he hadn't managed to keep one hairsbreadth in front of her when she'd been chasing him around the lair, he'd be a bleeding mess right now. He shuddered at the memory, the feeling of her looming presence at his shell as he'd literally run for his life still gave him the heevies. Then tonight she tops it all off by sticking her nose where it isn't wanted, taking off for a few hours then coming back with a bunch of ripped off gear and all she gets is a piss weak bitch fit from Donny about being in his lab and a half arsed lecture from Leo about how wrong it is to steal. The kid was a total delinquent! And best of all she seemed to have the same powers that Mikey had been born with when it came to looking contrite and pathetic, effectively rendering people unable to maintain their anger at her. Well, while it had worked on his brothers it certainly hadn't had any effect on him. After a full day of keeping a tight lid on his temper around her he was ready to let it all go and strangle her with his bare hands at the slightest provocation, dangerous mutant leopard or not.

He was just contemplating going for a late run to try and burn off some of the tension in his gut when a sound from out in the hallway caught his attention. He looked up in time to see a small shadow flit past the gap in his doorway. He was moving before he knew it, in two strides he reached the threshold of his room and threw the door the rest of the way open just as the object of his irritation passed by. Scarlett let out a squeak and whirled around, eyes huge in her face as she stared up at him. He cast a glance up and down the hallway then stepped out of his room slowly, letting a humourless smile stretch his lips when she shuffled backwards nervously. Taking full advantage of the fact she was without backup he loomed over her deliberately with one hand resting on the wall near her head so he could lean into her space even more. With a nervous twitch Scarlett glanced over her shoulder towards the end of the corridor and when he flicked his gaze that way he could see her bedroom door was wide open with soft light spilling into the passageway like a beacon. He scowled, the thought of her now staying in a room that he still considered April's space further fuelling his anger. The small growl of irritation he let out drew her attention back to him.

"I _knew_ it wouldn't take you long to show your true colours." Raph kept his voice low and gruff. "You're a sneak and a thief, and even if Leo is willing to let you get away with just a slap on the wrist I'm not." He poured every ounce of his distrust and contempt into his voice as he continued. "My brothers and I? We fight against people like you, we don't take them in to help them then just look the other way when they start _stealing_."

Scarlett flinched at the last word and looked again over her shoulder in the direction of her bedroom, the desperate need to escape was plastered all over her face and Raph pressed harder in triumph. All the frustrations over the last few months were right there in the back of his throat like rising vomit and, with none of his irritatingly protective brothers hovering over her, he was free to vent as hard as he wanted with Scarlett caught directly in his cross hairs.

"Splinter might think you can be helped, Leo might see you as a pawn to use against our enemies, Donny might want to use you as a science project and Mikey might think of you as a new pet, but me? I see you for what you really are, an opportunistic manipulative dangerous little mutant who isn't worth our trust. Sooner or later when the shine wears off, when you betray us, the others will see it too. After that all you have to do is not let the door hit you on the ass on your way outta here."

Scarlett's amber eyes widened a little further with each word Raphael spat at her until they seemed to take up her whole face which had paled to the point it was a sickly white under her dark hair. For a moment, when Raph saw that her bottom lip was trembling, all he felt was savage satisfaction. Then awareness crept in and wrapped it's unwelcome fingers around the edges of his conscience. Guilt started to prick at him when he realised that the girl in front of him looked more shit scared than any person he'd ever seen in his life, and that was really saying something. In the shadows blanketing the hallway she had shrunk in on herself, seeming years younger as she cowered from him. Just a child.

As his tirade ended and a heavy silence fell over them both she continued to back away, her eyes beginning to shimmer with what he suspected were oncoming tears and he swore angrily. "Scarlett...". When he half raised a hand towards her she turned and fled, within seconds disappearing into her room.

Left alone in the hallway Raph rubbed at his temple, the awful things he'd just said rang in his own ears and he winced. The boil of his anger had been lanced, words that had been building up to the point of no return finally draining like poison as he directed them directly at Scarlett. Left in their place was the horrible feeling he'd gone too far, way too far. "Fuck!"

* * *

As soon as I reached my room I wanted to slam the door shut to put as much distance as I could between myself and Raph but I still couldn't bring myself to close myself up in the small space. Instead I huddled into the far corner of my room, back pressed against the wall and knees drawn up tight to my chest so that I could hug them tightly. The pain in my ribs was intensified by my thudding heart and rapid breathing but I welcomed it, focussed on it as I pulled air in through my nose and expelled it through my mouth. I realised dimly that I was doing exactly what Splinter had taught me this morning in our first meditation training session but I didn't care, I just desperately wanted to stop myself from turning. Everything had been going so well...

_"...Donny might see you as a science project..."_

I squeezed my thighs tighter to my torso to induce a fresh wave of pain in my chest then concentrated on it, pushing away Raph's angry words and just breathing, breathing, breathing.

Finally my heart slowed and I felt in control enough to lift my hands tolook at them. My fingernails were normal, there were no black patches on my palms. No black hair was sprouting from my arms. I let out a shaky sigh of relief and shifted until I was sitting cross legged on the bed then immediately covered my face as the tears that had been threatening finally began to fall. My shoulders shook with silent sobs until I was too drained to even remain sitting up. I slumped down so that my head was on the pillow and I was curled into a tight ball, closing my eyes as more tears squeezed out and ran down my cheeks.

* * *

_So Mt Raph finally exploded! Did I make him too harsh? Don't worry, I will start mending some bridges next chapter :)_


	20. Backlash

_Wow, thanks everyone! Last chapter got me the most follows/faves/reviews I think I've ever gotten in one go. It's so motivating! Welcome to all my new readers, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. No action but a bit of Mikey and Scarlett fluff to make up for Raph meanness. _

_Three weeks seems to be the magic number for chapter updates at the moment. I had another whole thing written for this chapter then I set it aside and tried another angle. (If you are interested in reading it let me know and I can email it to you, you can let me know if you think I went the right way :) )_

_Disclaimer: I own n__othing! (Except Scarlett)_

* * *

_I'm standing in complete, total darkness. I open my eyes as wide as I can, feel my face with shaking hands to make sure it isn't covered, but I can't even see my fingers in front of my face, there's not one glimmer of light for me to latch onto. My breathing is laboured, loud as it echoes back to me and my heart races in my chest, fear gripping me as though I've been running hard from something I can't remember. I'm taken by the paralysing fear that something, someone, is after me but I've lost all sense of direction. Which way was I going?_

_There's a scuffle in the darkness behind and I stumble forward away from it, hands searching blindly ahead of me as my bare feet scrape over rough ground. Something brushes over my back, grasping fingertips? "Leave me alone." The words are hard to force out as though my tongue is too big for my mouth._

_"Sumi..."_

_It comes from directly in front of me, a male and female voice speaking in unison, both horribly familiar._

_"No." I scrabble to change directions, lurching to the side when again something bumps against me in the dark, this time a bit more firmly. "Stay away." My hands are out to ward off the unseen, the whispers and slight touches are coming at me from all sides. I try to move further away but am yanked to a halt by a heavy weight around my right wrist. Panic wells, I pry at the cold metal cuff as desperate cries start leaking from my mouth, it won't budge. Instead it begins pulling me forward slowly._

_"Sumi."_

_Light building gradually, so faint at first that in my distress I don't notice it's illumination until it grows strong enough to backlight the figure in front of me. The chain is pulling me towards someone. Muscled arms flex as large hands wrap around my tether and drag me another step closer. I can feel the bottoms of my feet tear as they scrabble for purchase, the stinging pain makes it even harder to resist. The next tug on the chain brings me to within touching distance._

_"NO!" I scream as I lash out, the figure crumples to the ground and I pull back a hand covered in gore. The tension in the chain is suddenly gone and I fall to the ground as well, sobbing harshly._

_"I knew it," I twist to look up and see hard amber eyes glaring at me from behind a red mask "I knew it wouldn't take you long." He spat as he stabs an accusing finger towards the crumpled figure. My head turns slowly. Blood, black in the semi light, seeping from a ruined throat. Blue eyes stare sightlessly right through me turning my heart to ice in my chest._

_"Mutant..."_

* * *

Hayden stared down at the photo in his hand, a lifetime of practice the only thing that allowed him to keep any expression from his face. It was a struggle though, the last thing he'd expected when he woke up today was to have a picture of Scarlett shoved under his nose after months and months of searching for her.

"You do not recognise your own sister?" Xever's voice was mocking, the mutation which had reformed his face had left his voice relatively untouched and the familiar drawl was a balm to the ears after catching a glimpse of his face.

Immediately after his transformation Xever had withdrawn to the employ of the Shredder where he was now paired with Bradford, acting as muscle for the Foot Clan in its ongoing battle against the turtles. In the days following Xever's accident the Purple Dragons had floundered, rumours spreading about what had happened to cause their leader to disappear so soon after he'd arrived on the scene to unify them into an organised force. He was dead. No, he was in Shredder's dungeon being punished for his failure to capture the freak turtles. No, he'd returned to Brazil. No he'd been mutated while fighting the sewer mutants.

Turns out the last rumour had been the right one. Sickened by his new form and not wanting to face his old crew just yet Xever had come to Hayden in secrecy with the request that he run the Purple Dragon's in his stead. After recovering from his initial shock Hayden had not hesitated to accept, taking over the day to day running of the gang had been a hard won promotion, one that he'd been angling for since he'd first begun building relationships within the street gang nearly two years ago. It had taken a full year for him to insinuate himself into the higher ranks of the Purple Dragons. Another six months for him to feel confident enough to move Scarlett to their recruiting warehouse so that she'd be closer to him without the fear she's end up getting hurt. Ironic now. He should have left her with Bec.

"This is who you need the Purple Dragons to find?" Hayden ignored Xever's question by posing one of his own, his voice deliberately hard and flat. "Why?"

For a moment Xever studied him, yellow eyes with their black slash of a pupil scanning his face shrewdly. Hayden stayed stoic beneath the pressure of his bosses gaze. Although he'd met with his boss many times since his mutation the urge to flinch back from his freakish new form had barely diminished. "Shredder wants us to find your sister. She disappeared two nights ago and so far the Foot have been unable to find a single trace of her." The large fish said as he finally turned away, mechanical legs whirring as he paced back to the table where a stack of papers waited. "He need the Purple Dragons to be our eyes and ears on the street."

As soon as the mutants back was turned Hayden quickly glanced back down at the picture of Scarlett. It was a simple headshot taken from front on. She looked different, wrong in some way and for a moment he struggled to put his finger on it. There was nothing unusual about the photo, she didn't seem to be under duress, in fact just like his own her face showed no expression at all and her usually expressive eyes were blank. Then it hit him that was exactly what was wrong, Scarlett could barely go two seconds without betraying her feelings through her face. Unlike Hayden who had learnt from a very young age not to give himself away his little sister had no qualms about expressing herself. She seemed to blow through emotions with dizzying speed. Grins, pouts, scowls. Eyes sparkling with excitement or snapping with displeasure. It was all out there for anyone to read. The Scarlett in this photo looked dead inside.

A cold, controlled rage sparked behind his eyes and automatically he clamped down on it hard. "What's happened to her?" He asked. "Why was she with the Foot Clan?"

Xever turned around with a curious look. When Hayden continued to stare at him blankly he shrugged "She volunteered to take part in a top secret project, I couldn't tell you about it until now." He gathered up the photographs of Scarlett and thrust them at the younger man. "The Purple Dragons are to make finding the girl their top priority, all other activities are on hold while they search the city. Observation only, do not approach. When you locate her keep eyes on her and call me immediately."

Hayden nodded once, at least now he would have more man power to accomplish what he'd already been trying to achieve. "I will hand out her photo amongst the men. We will find her."

"I'm counting on it."

* * *

The first thing I saw when I cracked my eyelids open the next morning was Raph's face, eyes burning with anger as he loomed over me and spat each word at me carefully and deliberately. What had he said? Opportunistic, manipulative, dangerous mutant. Yeah that was it. I battered the mental image away as best I could, scrubbed at my sore eyes and rolled over, every muscle protesting the movement. I ignored them and kept dragging myself around until I was sitting up and squinting at the light from the lamp. I couldn't tell how long I'd been asleep but I was pretty sure I'd had back to back nightmares. Did time even move down here?

Ugh, sleeping had not helped. Why was I so freakin tired and sore? I sank my head into my hands, elbows propped on my knees, and tried to order my thoughts. Raph's voice interrupted loudly inside my head, bulldozing any hope I had of forming anything useful. Project, pet, pawn, prisoner. Was he right? Was that all I was to them? Everything the angry turtle said last night had a strong ring of truth to it. In just one day I'd already begun to think of the guys as more than that, but I was just being stupid. People didn't help each other out without ulterior motives so why should mutant turtles be any different? Of course they didn't want me to leave, they were self appointed protectors of the city, whereas in their minds I was either a danger to the general population or a direct danger to them in their fight against a whole heap of baddies. Having me down here kept me contained. The question was, was I cool with that? Regardless of their motives they were still offering me what I needed, a place to hide and get myself together again. I could leave any time I wanted right? Was there a downside to staying other than a dent in my pride? Did I have another option?

Nope.

With a sigh I lifted my head and stared ahead morosely. Immediately my eye caught the stash of clothes I'd liberated from captivity yesterday. Heaving myself up from the bed I leant over and grabbed a few items then snagged my towel which was hanging over the top corner of my bedroom door. Shower. The hallway was dark and empty, it only took me two steps to dart across then I was inside with the door locked.

Ten minutes later I was showered and dressed in an oversized black t-shirt and skinny jeans with the knees pre ripped. I couldn't be bothered brushing my hair so I twisted it up on top of my head and tied it with my hairband so all of it was out of my face, my fringe was way too long now anyway. I opened the bathroom door again as quietly as I could and, when I saw the coast was still clear, I tossed everything I held into my room without looking, not caring where it landed. Folding my arms around my middle I padded down the hall as quietly as I could. My bedroom was at the furthest end so I had to get past all the brothers doorways to make it to the main lair. The four doors were closed and the sight of the 'STOP' sign on Raph's closed door twisted my stomach. He'd popped out of there last night like some freaky jack-in-the-box and nearly made me wet myself, the fresh memory of him looming over me in the dark, amber eyes blazing with hate, froze my feet to the floor and I clenched my jaw to stop my teeth chattering. What was wrong with me? I'd never let anyone intimidate me before just because they were bigger and meaner than me but right now I just couldn't get up the courage to go any closer to his room, what if he leapt out at me again? I took a step backwards and rethought leaving the safety of my room...

When another door slammed open and a green body barrelled out I couldn't help the startled yelp that escaped my throat. My bare feet tangled and I stumbled backwards to land on my ass with a thump. Then a body was leaning over me and I threw an arm up to ward them off, cringing back reflexively.

"Jeez, Scarlett, are you alright?" At the sound of Mikey's voice I dropped my arm enough to peek over it and saw his concerned blue eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you." Gentle hands gripped my elbows and lifted me to my feet.

I let out a shaky breath and hugged myself again. "It's cool." Even to my own ears I did not sound cool.

Mikey's hands tightened on my elbows. "You're shaking," he was starting to sound outright worried now "and you actually hissed at me just then. What's going on?"

I looked at him in surprise "I hissed at you?" He nodded and without meaning to my eyes flicked towards Raph's bedroom door as I said. "I thought you were someone else."

Mikey followed my gaze, glancing over his shoulder then immediately turning back, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously. "Really?" Oops. I dropped my eyes and shrugged, refusing to say anything else. After a moment his hands left my elbows and I risked a glance at his face, his brow ridge was pinched thoughtfully but when he saw me looking at him his expression cleared. "Hey, I've been meaning to tell you. I found something I think you'll like." He turned and motioned towards his open bedroom door. "C'mon."

I kept my eyes firmly on Mikey's shell as I followed him but my whole right side still prickled with awareness as we passed by his older brother's door. It was like I could feel Raph standing on the other side glaring at me through the metal, the guy had really gotten inside my head last night when he yelled at me.

All thought of him vanished though as soon as I entered Mikey's space, I felt my eyes go wide and I took a few steps into his room so I could get a better look around. A huge double bed was positioned in the middle of the left wall flanked by bookshelves practically groaning under the weight of what looked like hundreds of comic books. To my right was a massive desk littered with papers and a collection of pencils, charcoals and brushes. Just with a glance I could see a whole heap of drawings in various stages of completion. Floating shelves around the walls held collections of figurines and miniatures. Any space that didn't have a shelf screwed to it had a poster or piece of art and there was even a surfboard mounted on brackets just above my head height. In one corner was a comfy looking armchair and a bean bag, in another was a massive stereo system. A large blue rug covered most of the floor and sticking out from under the bed I could see a few empty pizza boxes and an orange skateboard. Mikey's room was freakin _huge_!

I hesitated until Mikey motioned his head at me to enter then crossed the room and flopped into the armchair while he bent and rummaged around behind another smaller desk. "It's around here somewhere." He muttered. After a minute he gave a satisfied "Ah ha!" and threw something at me. I caught it automatically, holding it up to see I was holding a knitted black beanie. At first I just looked at it uncomprehendingly, it didn't look particularly special, but then a surprised laugh escaped me when I saw it had little knitted black ears poking out from the sides. I looked up at Mikey to catch him grinning at me. "Made me think of you for some reason."

My smile dimmed for a second when Raph's snide voice sounded in my head, _pet_, but I ignored it and reached up to pull my hair from it's messy bun. I ran my fingers through it a few times to detangle it a little then pulled the beanie on until it sat low on my brow and covered my ears. "Thanks Mikey." I smiled at him.

"No worries. It's starting to get colder so I figured you'd need something to keep you a little warmer. Besides," He threw himself into the huge beanbag across from me and stretched out his long legs until he could nudge me with his foot "it really suits you."

I snorted, "I'll take your word on it, I wouldn't have a clue what I look like at the moment. You guys don't have any mirrors." I ran both hands over my face and grimaced "I bet I actually look like crap though, I certainly feel like it."

"You haven't seen yourself in a mirror yet?" Mikey looked at me with a slightly shocked expression.

I shook my head "Not since before I got mutated." I picked at a scab on one of my knuckles "I also never have a clue what time it is. Or what day it is, or month...you get the picture." I frowned and wiped at a small trickle of blood caused by my scratching.

"Well I can help you out with the first one." Mikey pushed himself out of the beanbag and a second later a huge, hand-held mirror was thrust at me. He sat back down and waited expectantly while I hesitantly held the mirror up to look in it. Nerves clenched my stomach as, for the first time in forever, I got a good look at myself.

The first thing I locked onto was my own gaze, I bit back a gasp when I saw my eyes were no longer a dull brown but had been transformed into a rich amber colour with an oval pupil. My lids were rimmed with black as though I was wearing eyeliner and I realised numbly that the lines extended from my top lid towards my eyebrow slightly and from the inner corner of my eye towards my nose just a little. I didn't look like me anymore, the girl in the reflection had cats eyes. The mirror in my hand began to shake a little as my grip trembled but I forced myself to keep looking. The rest of my face appeared unchanged, the hair escaping from under the beanie I wore was definitely darker but I'd already noticed that yesterday when I'd brushed it out. It wasn't until I parted my lips on an exhale of breath that I saw my teeth. My canines were slightly longer and pointed. The mirror finally fell from my hand as I dropped it so I could feel the fangs.

"You alright?" Mikey's voice made me jump a little. I huffed a laugh.

"You ask me that a lot." I said by way of response.

He nudged me with his foot again "You've been through hell," he said sombrely "I care about you."

In that moment his open, honest face didn't reassure me as it usually did. Instead it stirred up a tight angry feeling in my chest "Why?" I asked bitterly "Why Mikey? Why would you give a shit about me?" I drew my feet up away from him and crossed my arms tightly over my chest as I glared at him. "Doesn't it occur to you that everything Raph says could be true? Or do you really just think I'm some kind of pet you've adopted?" My last words hung in the air between us while Mikey's gaze narrowed thoughtfully on me once more. The anger that had fuelled my outburst drained away leaving the overwhelming tired, achy feeling in it's place and I just wished I could take it all back.

"What else did Raph say to you?" His voice was low and dangerous. I felt tears gather in the corners of my eyes.

"Nothing" I denied reflexively "He didn't say anything."

"Bullshit." Mikey leaned forward, styrofoam rustling as it shifted around his weight. "What else did he say to you Scarlett?"

"Don't...I don't...he..." I stuttered, the thought of Raph finding out I'd said anything had my breath cutting short.

"Scarlett look at me," He waited until I met his blue gaze then gave me a smile, his face falling back into the friendly expression I was used to although it was still tight around the edges of his eyes "whatever Raph said to you last night comes from a deep place filled with his own crap that he can't express like a rational turtle. Tell me. I promise nothing bad will happen...to you anyway." he muttered the last bit under his breath.

"He..." I swallowed dryly. Mikey just waited patiently, hands dangling around his shins as he rested is forearms on his knees. "He said he was waiting for me to fuck up, that it would happen sooner or later and that when I did I'd be kicked out of here." I whispered. "He thinks Donny sees me as a science project, that Leo wants to keep me away from the Foot so they can't use me as a weapon and that you want to keep me around as a pet." I took a breath, my voice fading even more as I added "He says I'm dangerous and he's right." I blinked and felt a hot tear track down each cheek.

For a while Mikey didn't say anything, even through eyes blurred with tears I could see a muscle in his jaw twitching. I turned my head so I could wipe the moisture off my face with my shoulder and when I looked at him again I saw he was leaning back on the beanbag thoughtfully. "Raph's not wrong." He said eventually. My heart sank at his words and I raised a hand to fist away more tears as they fell. "But he's not right either because he's left out a whole bunch of stuff. Like how Donny sees the whole world as a science project and that he only ever uses his big brain to _help_ people like Splinter taught us to. He wants to be able to help you the same way you helped him when he was captured by the Purple Dragons, maybe even reverse your mutation eventually if that's what you want." I let Mikey's words run through my head, eyes fixed on him as he kept right on talking. "And, yeah ok, Leo wants to keep you away from the Foot and the Kraang so they can't use you against us but it's more than that. He doesn't want you anywhere near them because they've used you and hurt you and that is something our fearless leader can't stand to see happen to anyone." He stopped to clear his throat before continuing. "And as for me, now that I think about it I can see how someone could claim that I only want you around as a pet," he laughed and rubbed the back of his neck "I do kinda really love cats. But that's crap because you're a _person_ not an animal and anyway it doesn't take into account how cool I thought you were when I first met you does it?"

He grinned at me and I gave a watery sounding laugh "Yeah, I thought...think...that you are pretty awesome too." I admitted "You are the first person to be so nice to me in a long time. Donny as well. And you are an awesome cook too. But what about me being dangerous? Don't you worry?"

"Of course!" Mikey shrugged "Pretty much everyone we meet is super dangerous in their own way. Even April is...was...developing some mad kunoichi skills. But if you are going to get trained by Splinter to get a handle on everything then that's good enough for me. And besides," he shot me a cocky grin "we're mutant ninja's trained for action, we can totally look after ourselves."

I sniffed and nodded, smiling despite myself. Mikey's voice turned serious again "I know that what Raph said hurt, he has insight and can be a real dick when he wants to, but believe me when I say we only want you here because we like you and we want to help. There's nothing more to it than that, promise."

I nodded again and took a deep breath as I rubbed at my face with both hands. "Thanks." I lowered my hands and asked hesitantly "you won't tell will you?"

"I won't say anything to Raph if you don't want me to." Mikey said in an odd tone of voice. I eyed him dubiously, getting the feeling that the guy was being evasive but before I could open my mouth to ask he grinned widely at me. "So, how about we get you hooked up? I bet there's a heap of stuff you need so that you can get settled in a bit better. We have a couple of hours before Splinter wants to see you in the dojo for meditation."

Immediately all thoughts of Raph fled, I looked at Mikey hopefully "Seriously?"

"Absolutely," Mikey gave his signature lofty nod "just ask and we shall provide. D is waiting in the lounge right now to take you internet shopping." He glanced over at the clock hanging above his desk and winced. "Actually he might have given up on us, we've been talking for a while. C'mon." With that he launched himself out of the beanbag and I found myself being hustled out of his room at high speed unable to help giggling at his enthusiasm.

* * *

Raph rounded the corner into the kitchen and pulled up short when he saw Mikey sitting at the bench nursing a can of orange crush. Immediately his eyes did a quick scan and when he saw no sign of Scarlett he wasn't sure if he felt more relieved or disappointed. Well whichever is was it was overridden by the uncomfortable sensation of guilt, a feeling he wasn't particularly familiar with and he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. Finding Scarlett to see what kind of reaction he got from her today would be a good first step, he hadn't thought much beyond that.

"Morning bro!" Mikey's voice was cheery as usual, relief released part of the knot in his chest and he felt the corner of his mouth lift in a tentative smile. The niggling worry that his brothers, Mikey and Donny in particular, would be aware of his rant last at Scarlett last night had him a little...on edge. Sunday was the only day Sensei allowed them to start a little later and using his morning of free time to work on his bike had seemed like a good way to fly under the radar until training but it had done nothing to ease the tension in his gut.

"Hey." Raph replied as casually as he could, crossing the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He pulled up a stool and plonked himself down on it, opening his mouth to ask Mikey a question that died in his throat forgotten as soon as he met his baby brothers eyes. Then the knot tightened all over again.

"I absolutely can't wait for training today." Mikey's voice remained upbeat as he leaned forward and propped his chin on his fist, all the while fixing Raph with a piercing stare which was completely at odds with the rest of his face. "I sure hope Sensei hasn't forgotten that it's supposed to be sparring all afternoon."

"Yeah," Raph groaned, wilting a little under Mikey's hard glare "it's gonna be awesome."


	21. Brother Love

_Thanks again for the lovely reviews and PM's guys, you know who you are ;) Welcome to all my new readers, I hope you are enjoying the story!_

_So I've been away on a school camp all week with no internet or phone, it was surreal. I really tried to get this chapter out before I left but it proved impossible. On a related note, I've never written such a big fight scene before and it was intense! I hope it came across clearly :)_

_Don't know if I've made any mistakes or if it's good enough, I just want to publish before I head off on holidays!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

"Scarlett." Master Splinter's insistent voice pulled at me, I reluctantly opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him. He kept kept facing straight ahead, eyes closed and furry face serene under the dappled shade of the tree. Late afternoon sun filtered through the grate above and caused the dojo to take on a decidedly orange cast, giving it a dreamy feel which wasn't helping me stay awake.

"Yeah?" I asked then had to clamp my jaw closed to stifle a yawn. The build up of pressure caused me to snort loudly through my nose instead. "Heh," I laughed sheepishly "sorry."

"Meditation does not mean sleeping." A cocked eyebrow was all it took to make my smile droop a little at the edges. He didn't sound angry exactly, but his voice wasn't letting on that he was cutting me any slack either.

"Sorry." I wriggled a little on the mat where I was sitting cross legged next to him and paused to muffle another yawn with my hand. "It's just that meditation feels an awful lot like going to sleep." I explained.

"Meditation does indeed relax the body and clear the mind," Splinter allowed as he nodded slightly, still facing ahead out towards the dojo "however the real objective where you are concerned is to focus inward and gain responsibility over your own state of mind. In this way I am confident that your shifting abilities will some day be totally within your control."

I wrinkled my nose "It hurts to shift." I complained. "Like really hurts, I just want to learn how to never do it again. Why would I do it on purpose?"

"Pain is in the mind." Splinter countered. "It too can be controlled."

I rolled my eyes and muttered "Pain is in my butt."

"What was that?" an edge of warning crept into Splinters voice. I looked up at him again and saw that he now had his head turned, eyes open and fixed squarely on me.

"Nothing!" I amended quickly. I dropped my eyes to look at the carpet, a small green leaf chose that moment to flutter down and I reached out to catch it all the while feeling the rats eyes on me. "Can we try again?" I asked quietly. "I really want to do better."

"No." Splinter shook his head. "That is enough for today. Tonight you must get enough sleep so that we may have more success tomorrow." He softened his face when he saw my contrite expression. "Do not worry yourself overly young one, meditation is not as easy as it seems. It has taken me many years of dedicated practice to get where I am." My face must have fallen even further because he actually smiled slightly as he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "However I do not think you will need quite that long. A few weeks may be enough to conquer your mutation."

"Oh thank God." I huffed then straightened when he squeezed my shoulder a tad harder than comforting. "I mean, thank you...uh...Sensei?" The word sounded wrong coming out of my mouth and I frowned. "That didn't sound right."

"Sensei is fine, it simply means teacher." Splinter smiled again then rose smoothly to his feet. I similarly uncurled myself and followed him to the door.

"No," I said absently "Sensei is what _she_ made me call her..."

"Who?" Splinter paused mid step and turned to face me. I opened my mouth to answer but was cut off by Leo who chose that moment to enter the dojo. He hesitated when he saw Splinter and I.

"Is it time for us to train Master Splinter?" His gaze flicked between us "I can come back if..."

"It is time," Splinter nodded once "please call your brothers." As Leo left to do his bidding the mutant rat turned back to me. "We will continue your training at the same time each day." He bowed to me and, feeling a little silly doing so, bowed awkwardly back before moving to leave.

I side stepped Splinter but was immediately brought up short again when I found my way blocked by a hard brown expanse of chest. I looked up and found myself face to face with Raph. For a moment we both stood stock still, staring at each other while my heart kicked into double time. I could feel my shoulders hunching and I fought the urge to pull the black beanie down even further over my ears and eyes when I saw Raph's gaze take in the silly little ears poking out at the top of my new headwear. I glared instead, cheeks heating with embarrassment as he took in the gift Mikey had given me with an unreadable expression. His eyes flicked to Master Splinter then caught mine again as he opened his mouth as if he was about to say something.

All of a sudden there was a "Move it bone head" then Raph's whole body lifted sideways, he let out a startled grunt as he staggered a little to the side. A split second later Mikey was in the spot recently occupied by Raph, grinning at me innocently as he asked. "Hey Scar, how was training?" Without even breaking eye contact he dodged the slap Raph aimed at the back of his head, his smile widened into a grin when Splinter shot his red banded brother a sharp reprimand. "Some people." He shook his head and tutted with mock seriousness. "So rude."

"It was ok." I replied, from the corner of my eye I watched Raph stomp off and felt a little better with every step he took away from me. Then I nodded at Leo and Donny as they traipsed past behind Mikey, returning the purple banded turtle's offered fist bump and half smile as he walked past. "I think I maybe was a little better this time?" I looked to Master Splinter for confirmation then sighed in relief when the turtles Sensei nodded.

"That's awesome!" Mikey slapped me heartily on the back then walked backwards as he went to join his brothers on the mat. "Have fun finishing your shopping, catch you at dinner?" When I nodded he shot me a double thumbs up then turned his shell to me. I slipped out of the dojo with the small smile still plastered to my face.

* * *

After grabbing a bag of potato chips and a can of soft drink from the kitchen, (hopefully they didn't belong to anyone in particular), I made my way back to the lounge pit where Donny had left his laptop open for me. I skipped lightly down the first step and plonked myself onto the cement with my legs crossed before setting the chips and drink down within easy reach. Then I used two hands to lug Donny's laptop onto my lap, the thing was so souped up with extra antennas and hard drives it was more like a PC than a portable computer. I tapped a few keys to wake it up then grinned when the shopping page from this morning popped up straight away just as we'd left it.

Earlier today, as promised, the brainy turtle had been waiting for me so we could do some internet shopping. We'd spent a good chunk of time before my meditation session with Splinter making a list of things I needed like a toothbrush, hair clips, moisturiser, deodorant and other basic stuff I had once upon a time had a ready supply of in my backpack. Then Donny had logged us onto a site he used to order things for the family and set about making an online shopping basket. We'd made it through most of the list before I got called away for my training session. I hadn't wanted to leave the job unfinished but Donatello had just shrugged "I'll leave it here so you can fill in the rest when you get back." He'd reassured me casually. "Just double check it then click order, payment details are already saved in there."

"Aren't you worried I might add a heap of extra stuff?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_Are_ you going to order a whole heap of extra stuff?" He'd countered with a deadpan expression, his brown eyes twinkling at me. I'd pressed down on the urge to laugh.

"Noooo." I dragged the word out as long as I could, lips twitching in amusement.

"Ok then." He'd nodded once then motioned with his head towards the dojo. "You better get going."

Now as I looked at the computer on my lap I bit my lip guiltily as I started to search through the products again, clicking on key items as I went. I actually was going to order some extra stuff but, to be fair, it wasn't a whole heap of things, just a few extra items I couldn't live without. They weren't that expensive either but they were integral. I was pretty sure Donny would be happier not having to watch me order special girl products, he may be a turtle but he was still a boy.

Fifteen minutes later I read through the shopping list one last time before I was finally satisfied I hadn't forgotten anything. I proceeded to the checkout then hit the confirm payment button. Earlier when I'd asked Donny about how he was planning to pay for all the stuff he'd smiled shyly at me and confessed that he'd had an online job for a while now. Apparently the genius was building a solid client base of online customers who employed him to debug their software and test the firewalls on their computers or something like that. Techno geek stuff as Mikey had put it with an exaggerated yawn, I'd expected Donny to get offended but he'd just smiled indulgently and given Mikey a 'friendly' punch on the shoulder that had nearly knocked him off the bench.

Regardless of where the money came from, and even though I felt slightly guilty about taking it, I was more than happy that they were cool sharing it with me because I really needed it. I was sure I could find a way to pay them back eventually. I made sure the confirmation email came through like Donny had instructed me before carefully pushing the heavy laptop off my legs and standing up to stretch. My delivery of goods was due to arrive in a few days and I couldn't wait. Looking around the lair I tried to find something to distract myself. The lab was out of bounds and, while that never really stopped me usually, I didn't want to piss Donny off so soon after he'd generously helped me out. Instead my eye landed on the half pipe and I grinned before scampering off to retrieve my board.

* * *

"What's with you?" Donny hissed under his breath as he held out a hand. Mikey took it and allowed his brother to haul him up off the floor.

"Nothing," he reset his stance and faced the brainy turtle again "you on the other hand are in top form today old chap." He tipped an imaginary cap and ignored the answering non-plussed face he got in return "Jolly good show."

Donatello made a rude sound as he darted forward. In a series of quick of movements he grabbed Michelangelo by the elbow with his left hand while hooking his right elbow around the back of his neck. At the same time he twisted his lower body so that, as he yanked Mikey forward, his right leg swept the younger turtle's feet out causing him to tumble forward to land awkwardly on his shell. Donny stepped back quickly, expecting the fallen turtle to grab at his ankle, then frowned in annoyance when there was no counter attack. He stood over the mutant and folded his arms over his plastron, "Sloppy. You are _really_ distracted." Again he helped his brother to his feet. "Even more so than usual."

"I don't know what you're...ow!" Mikey cut off with a pained grunt as this time he hit the floor face first. "Uncle!" His voice was muffled by the carpet and Donny shook his head as he rolled over and gave the sign for 'time out'.

"Mikey be serious, you're supposed to be blocking my throws and so far I've landed all of them."

"I know I know." The orange banded turtle sat up slowly, one hand cradling his jaw. "I think I just got tag teamed by the rug." He complained, spitting a bit of fluff off his tongue. "Either that or it tried to make out with me." Squinting up at Donatello he asked with mock seriousness "Are the two of you in cahoots? Because if so you should know that I don't swing toward fabrics."

"Idiot." Donny shook his head and grabbed Mikey by the tails of his bandana, ignoring his little brothers protests as he forcibly helped him to his feet once again. "Just quit fooling around for five minutes ok?"

"_Yamete_!" At the sound of their father's voice Mikey immediately leapt up from the floor and fixed his gaze on their sensei with a hopeful look. As all four brothers came to stand in front of Master Splinter Donny stared suspiciously at him from the corner of his eye. Mikey was practically bouncing on his toes with suppressed excitement.

"We will end todays training session with one-on-one sparring." Their Sensei informed them. "You may pair up as you wish. Weapons only."

"Well I'm not..." Donny stopped mid sentence, brow ridge rising in surprise when he found Mikey was no longer next to him.

"Looks like it's me and you today." Leo's voice was dry as he stepped up beside him, they both watched Mikey and Raph as they squared off. "Am I missing something?" He turned to Donny with a puzzled look.

"I think we both are." Donny replied as he took his spot across from Leo. They bowed to each other at Master Splinter's command then snuck twin confused looks at their brothers while they all fell into ready stance.

"_Hajime_!"

* * *

"Are you sure you want to pick a fight you can't win little brother?" Raph spun his sai from an offensive to a defensive grip, back and forth ceaselessly until they were a silver blur as he and Mikey circled each other. Each step he took landed solidly, feet set to the floor and bulky body tense with power ready to be unleashed at any moment.

"Are _you_?" Mikey countered, blue eyes fixed on amber with steady focus. His tread was light and quick while his nunchucks spun steadily with a soft whir of displaced air. He kept his body fluid as he danced around his brother.

Raph's internally sighed in resignation even as his forehead creased into a determined frown, this wasn't Mikey goofing off like he did practically every training session. That Mikey was easy to take down with only a move or two and afterwards he'd bounce back to his feet with a grin and practically thank you for it. No, this Mikey was different, he had a point to prove and Raph was pretty sure he knew what it was. Bloody Scarlett. Well, bring it.

It wasn't often any of the turtles had their baby brothers full attention during training, for the most part Mikey didn't seem to be able to focus on anything for more than a few minutes at a time before he got distracted or started goofing off, even when under a direct threat of severe consequences from Splinter. Out there where their enemies lurked it was different of course, in those times when they were neck deep in the shit and facing opponents like Rahzar or Tigerclaw nothing could distract Mikey.

That's why it was so unnerving to have those piercing blue eyes fixed so firmly on him now, Raph just wasn't used to his little brother looking at him like he was the enemy.

After what felt like eons of circling and sizing each other up Raph finally felt that significant shift in the air that came before someone made the first move. Readied himself. He was so tense, so on edge from waiting for Mikey to get started while at the same time being pinned by that blue gaze, that when the first quick feint came he reacted to it immediately instead of assessing the situation properly. Raph realised his mistake even as he went to block Mikey's fake blow but unfortunately for him his weight was already committed and his answering swing met empty air. He tried to correct in time but a sharp sting across the backs of his knuckles made him curse as the sai from his right hand was collected by Mikey's nunchuck and went flying across the room. It clanged dully against the carpet making Raph wince anew as he shook the pain off with an aggravated flick of his fingers and switched his remaining sai to his right hand. He felt more than saw Leo and Don cease their own sparring to watch, disbelief radiating off them in palpable waves as their little brother darted to the left, weapons whirring and a dark grin plastered across his face. Raph ignored the onlookers and studied Mikey carefully instead, gritting his teeth as he leapt to the offensive while at the same time trying to ignore the pounding pulse of anger which had started behind his eyes.

"Seriously?" Mikey mocked with a laugh, dancing back to avoid Raph's flurry of jabs. "I didn't think it would be _that_ easy."

Raph pursued the younger turtle as he growled warningly "Watch your mouth." He came in hard on Mikey's right, driving him back a few feet then attempted to dart around him with a burst of speed, making a bee line for his fallen weapon.

"Nuh uh," Mikey tutted as he thumbed the switch on his nunchucks and sent his kusarigama flying out after Raph. The red banded turtle went down in a heap as the chain tangled up his legs. The next moment Mikey used Raph's prone shell as a launching pad, leaping across the room and snagging the fallen sai before his brother even had the chance to regain his feet, tucking the confiscated weapon into his belt and turning to rejoin the fight.

"I swear Mikey," Raph snapped as he picked himself up from the floor "you better give that back or I'm gonna...gah!" There was a blur of motion accompanied by the slight rattle of chains, the hooked tip of Mikey's weapon snagged the very edge of Raph's shell close to his bridge and the older turtle did a spectacular sideways spin in the air before landing hard on his side with an "oof".

"Gonna what?" Mikey challenged, voice deceptively calm "You're threatening _me_ now? Trying to scare me into giving up and going away?" He shook his head as he retracted his kusarigama, winding it up quickly to go again. "Not gonna work on this mutant."

Raph lumbered to his feet for the second time, breathing hard and searching for the orange banded turtle with sharp movements of his head. A flash of movement, Mikey was behind him, grinning as he turned on the spot for leverage then released the kusarigama with a hard flick of his wrist. Again Raph went down with a bit off curse then clawed his way back to standing. Every time he regained his feet his little brother was in a different spot, sending out his weapon like a striking snake to drag him back to the ground. Raph couldn't keep track fast enough, each time he fell the anger pulsed harder and made it even more difficult to see clearly. Eventually luck won out, this time when Mikey yanked back hard on his kusarigama and the red banded turtle came down he managed to swing out his remaining sai, clumsily pining the offending chain to the dojo floor with an angry grunt.

"Oooh you getting mad Raphie?" Mikey let go of his trapped weapon and held his remaining nunchuck with both hands in a defensive posture. "Are we gonna get to see what you look like when someone pushes _your_ buttons too hard?" With practiced ease and a smirk he began sliding his nunchuck over each shoulder and across his shell in a fluid figure eight.

"SHUT UP!" Raph roared, spittle practically flying from his mouth as he dropped his sai carelessly to the floor and charged Mikey with a wordless snarl. This time the orange banded turtle stayed put, dropping his own weapon, bracing his feet and shoulders into a solid stance ready to meet his enraged brother head on. Leo, Donny and even Master Splinter jumped at the loud crack of plastron colliding. After a moment of stunned silence Leo and Donny charged towards the rolling green heap of thrashing limbs.

"_Yamete_!" Splinter's voice cut over the chaos but the struggling teens ignored both their father's barked instruction and the prying arms of their brothers trying to separate them. The air was being peppered with grunts and curse words along with the solid thuds of fists hitting flesh. It wasn't until the mutant rat managed to apply the right amount of leverage to two very painful pressure points that the tussle came to an abrupt end.

"Ow ow ow ow _ow_!" Mikey's voice rose a little higher on each word until all that came out were high pitched shrieks. Raph managed to keep a bit more decorum, the pain of Splinters finger digging in mercilessly under the line of his jaw making him grunt but also sharpening his focus and cutting through the blinding anger like a knife.

"What on earth has gotten into the two of you?" Their Sensei barked incredulously once they were both subdued. "Both of you to opposite ends of the dojo, fifty backflips, now."

"Hai Sensei." They replied in unison, gratefully rubbing at their sore necks and shooting daggers at each other while slinking away to their respective corners.

Master Splinter watched them go with a hard glare which he then turned to Leo and Donny who were gaping openly at their retreating siblings. "Do either of you have any idea what that was about?" His tone brooked no tolerance for deception. The pair shrank back a little and wordlessly shook their heads. Splinter waved one paw in dismissal,pinching the bridge of his nose as the two sons who still remained within his favour beat a hasty exit from his presence. In stereo the counting began from either side of the dojo "One..." their voices edged with just enough petulance not to border on direct rudeness. "Two..."

The turtles sensei shook his head and muttered under his breath. "Teenagers."

* * *

_Three hours later..._

All was quiet in the corner of the dojo where the weapons rack was located except for the sound of light hearted humming coming from the youngest turtle. Mikey was just finishing up with the last chore Master Splinter had given him as punishment when he felt eyes boring into him. He glanced up from the bokken he was oiling and caught his brother staring at him with a look that was part irritated and part quizzical. A tentative grin crept across Mikey's mouth, he'd been waiting for ages for Raph to come out of his funk and engage with him again. The younger turtle had been happy to give his brother the space to think things through but now was eager to see what came next. He lowered the polishing rag and turned to face his Raphael more fully but for a moment the red banded turtle just continued to look with narrowed eyes. Mikey kept his good natured expression firmly in place and after a few beats he was rewarded when an answering, albeit reluctant, half smile lifted the corner of Raph's mouth as he shook his head in resignation.

"Brat."

"Bully."

...

"Don't do it again."

...shrug...

"Fix it with her."

"...I'll try."

"When?"

"Jeez, soon alright?!"

"...totally worth it..."

"Shut up."

"Ow!"

* * *

_What did you guys think? I wrote the fight scene to show that Mikey can totally be a badass when he wants to. I'm a great believer that he has the most raw talent of the four but doesn't live up to his potential thanks to his distractibility and love of goofing off. Also I came at the conflict between the brothers with the idea that sometimes they sort their issues out with fists rather than words and that at the end of it there are no hard feelings (totally a boy thing) especially as Raph knows he crossed a line._

_Hopefully you guys didn't think it was too out of character!_


	22. Cold Weather Cold Shoulder

_Everyone seemed to like the last chapter so I'm glad I didn't stuff it up! Thanks for the kind reviews Bubbles, Tootsie, Snowhite and guest. Again a big welcome to the new people following my story, I feel like it's really gaining momentum now :) You'll all be glad to know I have so many ideas I will be writing for a loooooooong time!_

_Just a heads up for anyone who will notice and may or may not care. I'm using the lair's spiral staircase in part of my story (you know the one from the 2012 show) but I'm taking some liberties as to what it is actually for. I always thought it was another exit from the lair but then I remember watching an episode where they are searching for something (the squirrelanoids I think?) and I'm sure Leo pops open the trapdoor and we can see that there is a storage room up there. In either case I am saying it's a storage room for the purposes of this chapter :)_

_Please excuse any mistakes or inconsistencies, I'm super busy at work at the moment but I'm writing as much as I can to try and get a chapters out asap._

_Sorry for the lame title, I couldn't think of anything better._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

The wheels of my skateboard made gritty sounds as they rolled back and forth over the concrete floor of Donny's lab, tiny bits of dirt popping and crunching under the pressure. The air was cool, goosebumps peppered my body, but it still wasn't enough to keep me alert and my eyelids drooped halfway closed as I watched my clothes swirl around and around inside the front loader. I sighed as I switched fists, letting my right arm drop to my lap so that my left could come up under my chin and support the weight of my head. Glancing down I noticed there was a dark red mark on my right thigh, just below the line of my denim shorts where my elbow had been digging in and I rubbed at it absently. It was too cold for shorts but I'd woken up this morning to discover I was running out of clothes to wear. I really didn't care though, it had almost been a relief to have something different to do other than eat, sleep and meditate.

It had been nearly two weeks since I'd come to live with the turtles and my life had settled into a predictable routine. First there was breakfast then I had to occupy myself while the turtles trained with Master Splinter which took _hours_. By the time they emerged it was lunchtime then I had to report for my daily meditation session with their father. When I finished with that the brothers were having free time, it was the only part of the day I had anyone to hang around with and I took full advantage, all the time dreading sunset because as soon as it was dark the guys left to patrol the city and I was alone again. After a few hours they were back for a quick dinner then it was bedtime. Rinse and repeat. The only day that was any different appeared to be Sunday where they had a lot less training.

On the whole I was left to my own devices. There was a decent amount of stuff to do in the lair, after all the guys had been confined underground for fifteen years and had accumulated a huge collection of video games, comics, movies and toys, but I was beginning to miss people and fresh air and sunshine. Each day it was getting harder to drag myself out of bed and find the motivation to do anything. I wasn't sleeping well thanks to a constant barrage of bad dreams and the lack of physical activity was just adding to my sluggishness. All of that wasn't really the reason for the funk I was in today though...

Mikey had dropped by my room this morning with another gift for me tucked under his arm, this time a calendar to hang on my wall. As a joke he'd found one that was all fluffy kittens but, as Mikey flipped through the large glossy pages until he'd reached the current day, I was feeling anything but amused. Vaguely in the back of my mind I had known that during my captivitya lot of time had passed without me being aware, the turtles had mentioned early on that months had passed between when they'd first met me and now, but all that had gotten lost in the whirlwind of events following my escape. Now it was right there in black and white. November. It was winter again. My stomach had dropped into my shoes and I must have turned white because Mikey's face was suddenly right there in front of me, pinched with concern as he urged me to sit down. For a moment I was sure he was going to try and push my head down between my knees or something but I'd managed a smile to reassure him I was ok and tried to wave him off. He refused to leave until I told him what was wrong though, dragging the truth out of me stubbornly until I'd relented.

It had been late May, the end of spring, when I was captured and mutated. I had no real sense of time passing after that but it turns out I was missing nearly six months of my life, I'd been trapped all of summer. Instead of being out enjoying the sunshine and warm weather I'd been imprisoned underground in cold dark cells. I'd also missed my birthday. Mikey had wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders while I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

It didn't really matter in the scheme of things I thought with a sniff, pulling myself back to the present as I tugged the sleeves of my sweater down over my hands to try and warm them up a little, my family had never really made a big deal about stuff like birthdays or Christmas anyway, but it would have been nice to at least be aware the day I turned sixteen. That was supposed to be a special number right? Fuck, whatever. I should just be happy that I was alive, if I hadn't been able to get away from the Foot Clan I probably wouldn't have lived to see another birthday anyway. The turtles themselves probably would have ended up killing me. I shuddered at the thought.

I pushed all the sad thoughts out of my head, feeling a yawn building as I adjusted my weight on my board so that my butt was centred more evenly in the middle. My eyes were burning from lack of sleep and the constant hum of the washing machine was quickly lulling me back into a trance. I gave up trying to stay awake, pulled my bent legs in closer to my chest and let my forehead thump down onto my knees.

* * *

"Yo, Donny! You in here?" Leo called out as he stepped into the lab. Training had only finished ten minutes ago but his brainy brother had taken off so quickly he had missed the invite to watch SRMFF with the rest of them. Mikey was currently putting together the snacks and had sent his older brother to round up the troops for a marathon before patrol.

"_Anyone_ in here?" He called again but his only answer was a faint hum in the distance, the washing machine running through a cycle, which meant _someone_ was here. Donatello and Raphael had installed a small laundry in the lab some time back and, while it had proved useful for things like the occasional linen wash, otherwise it didn't really get much use. Curiously Leo headed in that direction, skirting past Donny's main work area and making his way further back towards the rear of the large space where the machines were located.

Before long he was peering around the corner of the small nook Don and Raph had built. The washer and drier took up most of the space, the old machines had been rescued from the city dump, restored then carefully mounted and plumbed in by the two more mechanically minded turtles. Together the brothers had sealed the space with a bunch of black and white tiles left over from a construction site then fixed a drying rack to the far wall. They had even fashioned a small folding bench and laundry tub to complete the space. The project had taken the pair about a week and during that time the two vastly different turtles had bonded quite a bit, Raph had even convinced Don to have a sneaky beer with him from his secret stash the night they'd completed the job which had pretty much blown Mikey's mind when he'd caught them.

And on the floor in the middle of the small space was Scarlett, sitting on her skateboard while her clothes washed. Her arms were wrapped around her bare legs, head resting on her knees. He couldn't see her face thanks to all the dark hair spilling out from beneath her black beanie but the soft snores echoing off the tiles gave her away. She was fast asleep.

As Leo hesitated, then quietly began to withdraw. The washing machine chose that moment to let out a series of musical beeps that indicated it had finished its cycle. He paused, turned, then frowned when there was no movement from the younger girl. She really _was_ fast asleep. He only deliberated for a moment before giving a small shrug and crossing to the washing machine, carefully skirting her legs so he didn't jostle her. After first opening the drier he softly unlatched the washing machine door and began pulling out wet clothes to transfer them to their next cycle. Handling all the different sized pieces of wet fabric was a bit trickier than he expected, nothing like big bulky sheets or towels he was used to that came out in one piece. A few random items splatted to the floor with wet plops. Leo shoved the remainder of his armful into the drier then bent to retrieve the fallen clothes, wondering absently what Scarlett could possibly own that was so small. He'd picked up a few of the scraps of cloth and was lifting them towards the drier when his hand froze mid air and his eyes widened. Panties. He was handling a pair of girls panties. Leo's cheeks exploded with heat and he hurriedly, almost frantically, shoved the remaining clothes into the drier and slammed the door harder than he meant to. His hand shook a little as he twisted the knob to start the machine and when a small voice spoke up behind him he let out a squeak of fright.

"Leo?"

Scarlett's voice was thick with sleep and confusion. He whirled around, cheeks still hot, and wrestled with the feeling he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"H-hey." He cleared his throat. "Hey Scarlett." He leant back against the sorting bench, arms crossed over his plastron in what he hoped was a casual pose.

She blinked her unusual eyes at him a few times as she sat up straighter, there were faint lines on her face from where the fabric of her sweater had pressed into her skin and she had deep shadows under her eyes. "Hey." She replied eventually, eyes flicking between him and the open door of the washer. "Thanks," she motioned to the machines behind him "I fell asleep I guess."

"No problem at all, I'm uh, happy to help." Leo winced at the awkward note in his voice and cleared his throat again. Scarlett heaved herself off her skateboard and got to her feet, grimacing as she stretched and yawned. Leo's awkwardness faded as he noticed the dark bags under her red rimmed eyes, she really did look totally wiped. "Having trouble sleeping?"

Scarlett shot him a look then slid her eyes away as a wary expression took over her face. She seemed to deliberate for a moment then to his surprise nodded once, keeping her eyes fixed on her clothes which were now tumbling merrily around in the drier. "Yeah." She admitted and copied his pose, arms crossed loosely over the front of her oversized dark grey sweater as she leaned back on the wall behind her. "Ever since I escaped."

"Want to talk about it?" Leo offered. He hadn't really had a chance to get to know Scarlett yet, she was quiet at meal times and seemed to be avoiding spending time with them as a group, but he knew that it would be insane for her _not_ to be having trouble sleeping after everything she'd been through. When all he received in answer was a noncommittal shrug Leo decided to change tracks a little. "You know, when I have trouble sleeping it's usually because I'm worrying about stuff."

That earned him a curious glance "Like what?" She asked.

"My brothers mostly," Leo's mouth twisted in a wry smile "I worry about them getting hurt or caught. I run through a thousand scenarios in my head of all the things that could possibly go wrong and try to think of what I would do each time to keep us all safe. But mostly," he cleared his throat and shifted his weight to his other foot, too far into his confession to stop now "mostly I worry that I'm not a good enough leader and that because of me something bad will happen to my family."

There were a few moments of silence as Scarlett absorbed his words. Leo snuck a look at her from the side of his eye and saw that she was frowning off into the distance. He was just beginning to think that was the end of the conversation she finally said. "I've been having these horrible dreams, most of the time I...I don't really remember what they are about but I think a lot of them are memories." Her eyes are huge in her face as she looked at him. "There's so much I don't remember. You know, from before. I'm not even sure I _want_ to know...you know? The whole thing is pretty messed up." She gave a small shrug.

Leo cocked his head at her "So you don't remember anything?"

"After they put the mind control device on me I only remember bits and pieces, like in flashes." Scarlett frowned and rubbed the back of her neck absently. "Mikey told me about when you guys saw me, how I fought with you all. I don't know if he's messing with me or not, I mean my brother taught me some self defence moves and I've done a bit of boxing but what Mikey described?" She made a scoffing noise and shook her head as she met his eye.

"Well you had surprise on your side which certainly helped" Leo said dryly. "You've got some good moves though and you're really strong." He paused and looked her up and down thoughtfully. "What would you say to doing a bit of training with us? See what you remember? It might help you sleep a bit better too."

Her face lit up for a moment "Really?" but then fell again as she gave another of her signature shrugs and looked away. "I don't think Splinter would be ok with that, he's still got me on basic meditation to control my shifting."

"I would have to check with Master Splinter first," Leo admitted "but if he agrees then we could give it a go, see what happens."

"Ok," the corner of her mouth lifted in a tentative smile "that would be great thanks."

* * *

_"You have all forgotten my glorious royal birthday Dr Blip. I am hurt beyond all recognition! I never want to speak to you AGAIN!"_

I sighed and looked over towards the television where the turtles were gathered, they were lounging around together watching Super Robo Mega Force Five. I huffed, kicking my foot out in frustration so that the tyre swing I was sprawled on rocked a little. Just as Leo and I had finished our chat earlier Mikey had appeared in a huff to inform us that everyone was waiting to start the marathon. He invited me to watch with them and I would have, I really enjoyed hanging out with him and Donny, but Raphael was there too. Because I was intent on avoiding the big jerk it meant I missed out, instead I was over here by myself and pretending I preferred it that way.

"Woah dude," Mikey's cheeky voice cut across the lair "this show, like, totally paradoxes your life."

"It's _parallels_ and it does not ok? It's just a cartoon." Donny's voice was edged with irritation and in that moment he sounded a lot like Hayden did when I was trying to get under his skin. I shifted so that I could peek over my shoulder at them and bit back a grin when I saw Donatello's face. Yep, that was the long suffering big brother face alright.

"Besides the princess has quit the team like twenty seven times, she always comes back." Leo pointed out.

"Let's face reality, April's gone for good. We'll probably never see her again." Raph's tone was rough as he snapped at his brothers. I blinked in surprise, how did all this suddenly come back to April again? I rolled my eyes and turned my head back to look at the ceiling. The water below me reflected the light and threw interesting patterns onto the concrete.

My ears caught a soft sigh, barely audible over the noise of the show, then Donny saying in a dejected voice "I'll...be in my lab."

Awesome, someone to talk to! I sprang into action, scrabbling awkwardly on the tyre swing until I had enough purchase to jump down without landing in the water. I raced after the retreating turtle and as I passed the lounge pit Mikey called out to me "Hey Scarlett come watch!" but I threw Raph a dirty look then shook my head at the orange banded turtle and kept going after Donny. I managed to be right on his heels just as he passed through the lab door.

"Hey Donny I..." I was brought up short as Donatello stopped in his tracks, my nose got mashed pinfully against his shell and I jerked my head back with an indignant "ow!"

"What the?" He ignored me and leapt across the room towards one of his work desks. Pushing aside a heap of clutter he revealed a white sphere about the size of a basketball. It was throbbing softly, pink dots ebbing and flowing over it's surface. "How long has that been going off?"

I crossed the room to stand beside him, rubbing my nose and shooting Donny a filthy look which he didn't notice. "What is it?" I grumbled.

"A Kraang orb communicator." He answered shortly as he once again turned and hurried away. I watched him go with raised eyebrows. When he reached the doorway he yelled "Guys! We have a problem!"

I took a few steps away from the desk as the other turtles barrelled into the room. Ignoring me completely they gathered around the white globe and stared at it then each other with concerned looks on their faces.

"What does it mean?" Leo looked at Donny expectantly, the latter shook his head.

"I'm not sure but we should go check it out." Donatello scooped up the orb and started heading towards the Shellraiser with his brothers in tow. "We need to get to TGRI now so we can find out what's is happening, whatever it is it probably isn't good. I can try to decipher the message on the way."

"Wait!" At the sound of my voice the four brothers turned around in surprise, they'd forgotten I was there. I turned pleading eyes to Leonardo "You're going topside? Can I come too?" I asked hopefully. The thought of getting out of the lair, even for a little while, was insanely tempting. "I promise I'll just stay in the van."

Leo frowned at me then looked to the others, motioning with his chin for them to keep going before turning back to me. Mikey made a face at me before he left, a kind of apologetic half smile that told me my chances weren't good and as I caught sight of Leo's expression my hopes dropped even further. The eldest turtle came and placed a hand on my shoulder, I tried not to shrug it off in irritation. "We're going to see what the Kraang are up to, we have no idea what will be waiting for us but it's probably really dangerous. It's better if you just wait here, I don't want anything to happen to you ok?" He held my gaze steadily and I could see his mind was made up, I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest but didn't answer. He took my silence for consent and gave me one last squeeze before leaving. I watched the Shellraiser until it was through the roller door and out of sight. The thought of following anyway crossed my mind but I immediately discarded it as hopeless, for a start I was on foot. I was just going to have to stay here and wait for them to get back...again...

"Sharkfarts." My voice echoed around the empty lab.

* * *

The next day I kept myself as busy as I could away from the turtles. It was probably immature but I was still cross at them for leaving me behind yesterday and I wasn't in the mood to be around any of them at the moment. Not when they'd had so much fun without me last night breaking into TGRI.

Not only had they discovered that the Kraang had built a super huge robot with laser eyes and a laser whip, but they'd also rescued April from some girl ninja called Karai who'd been trying to kill her to get back at the turtles. Turns out the giant robot had been programmed to kill April but then tried to capture her instead to take back to the Kraang. There'd been a huge battle in a kids playground before Donny had managed to scrambled it's circuits. The Shellraiser had even gotten flipped. It all sounded really intense and when the turtles had gotten home last night they'd been exhausted but buzzed. Mikey had talked non stop about getting Donny to make him laser nunchucks while Donny had just stared dreamily off into space because apparently April was talking to them again or something, big woopie.

And where had I been the whole time? Bored out of my brain with no one to talk to, missing all the excitement. Assholes.

I gritted my teeth and pushed upward on the trapdoor above my head, using all my pent up frustration to heave on the stupid thing as hard as I could. There was a squeal of hinges and a _clunk_ as something rolled off the other side then the way was clear. The door made a loud banging sound as it fell open and from below me I heard Mikey's voice call out "Alright Scar?" I ducked back down and looked over the edge of the spiral staircase where, pretty much directly below, the guys were gathered around the t.v. again watching their stupid Robo Mega whatever. I blew a raspberry at him crankily and he waved back "Kay!" he gave me a grin and turned back to his show.

Rolling my eyes I pulled myself up through the trap door and stood, looking around curiously. Donatello had mentioned this space to me a few days ago, said they used it as a storage unit for any stuff they found that was interesting but not useful to him in his lab. He mentioned that I might like to check it out and see if there was anything I wanted for my room. I had been waiting for Mikey to give me a hand but he'd been so wrapped up in his show over the last few days that we hadn't gotten around to it. Whatever, I didn't need him. Apparently I had super strength so I could totally do this by myself.

The room was about the size of a decent bedroom and round shaped. The ceiling was pretty high and in the middle of it was one of those circular handles that looks a bit like a bike wheel. Stacked all around the room in haphazard piles were small mountains of junk, stuff the turtles had collected over the years but not used. I could see random crates of cassette tapes and magazines, parts of a pushbike, blankets, a bed frame, framed paintings and even odd bits of furniture. Almost immediately I noticed two long skinny pieces of wood poking out from under a box and my eyes lit up, pulling them out I grinned when I saw I was holding a pair of drum sticks. "Wicked." I crowed then shoved them into the back of my waistband. Five minutes later I was dragging a wall mirror out from behind the old bed frame and setting it beside the trap door to carry down later. Donny was right, there was some useful stuff up here. I continued searching, ignoring the voices that had started drifting up to me from the lair below. At one point I thought I heard a girls voice and paused for a moment before deciding it was only the tv.

I was just tugging at the corner of a funky looking quilt which was trapped under a tower of old suitcases when the whole stack started wobbling dangerously. I only had time to shout "ah CRAP!" before the whole lot came down in a tumble of sharp edges and clouds of dust. I was knocked onto my ass so hard I bounced and then squealed again when I fell further backwards. I flailed my arms to catch myself but there was nothing under me. My stomach dropped out as I plummeted through the trap door butt first, letting out a pained grunt as I came to a stop on the first wide step of the spiral staircase. For a moment I lay on my back and blinked up at the hole above me, bits of dust were still drifting down to cover me in a fine layer. Eventually I sat up from my undignified sprawl and immediately sneezed hard three times in rapid succession, blinking dust from my eyes and waving a hand in front of my face to clear the air.

From below me there was a stunned silence, even the t.v. had gone quiet, and I was just about to pick myself up with as much dignity as I could manage when an unfamiliar voice said "What the heck was _that_?"

I grasped the balcony with one hand and pulled myself up unsteadily. Peeking over the rail I immediately saw there was a full house down below. Mikey, Leo and Raph all stood gaping up at me with expressions ranging from shocked concern to the beginnings of humour. At the top of the steps leading to the kitchen was Master Splinter, face drawn into a frown and hands clasped behind his back. Just beyond him Donny stood with his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a confused looking girl with red hair. I stared at her dumbly for a moment, taking in the wide blue eyes, yellow t-shirt and freckles, then realisation kicked in. My face flushed and I wanted to sink through the floor. Letting another pained groan escape me I ran a hand over my face.

Fucking April O'Neil.

* * *

_April's finally here! Woo! What is she going to think of Scarlett?_


	23. Testing Times

_Hi everyone! I was waiting for inspiration to strike with this chapter and I got a bit of a brainwave a few days ago. I hope you like the direction I took :)_

_Tootsie pointed out that in the last chapter Raph and Don were too young to be drinking beer and I remembered that in the states the legal drinking age is 21. In Australia it is 18 and in my story Raph is 19 and Donny is 17 (about to turn 18). They are both still too young to be drinking in NYC though so sorry about that!_

_Thanks for the lovely reviews peoples and, as always, welcome to my new followers._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

"May I have a word father?"

Master Splinter paused in the doorway of his room, one paw resting on the wooden frame, and turned to face his eldest son. "Of course Leonardo," he answered "please come in." He'd been so deep in thought he hadn't heard Leonardo advancing behind him. Pride warmed his chest, little things like this reminded him his sons were improving every day. His distraction of course was prompted by Aprils return earlier tonight, a development that raised several issues he had yet to address and required time to meditate upon.

Once they were settled in Splinters room Leonardo got straight to the point. "I was wondering if I might ask how Scarlett's meditation sessions have been going? She has been with us for several weeks now without incident."

Splinter nodded, he had a feeling that the youngest and newest member of their group was the reason for Leonardo's visit. Scarlett was the subject of much of his own thinking lately as well. "Scarlett has been working hard and has achieved much in a short time, she wants to succeed in controlling her mutation, of this I am quite confident." He studied his eldest closely "Why do you ask my son?"

Leonardo hesitated as if unsure how to proceed "I had a chance to speak with Scarlett yesterday, the first really since she came here." He began "She...I'm a little worried about her. She wasn't looking well and when I asked she said she'd been having bad dreams, memories about her time with the Kraang and the Foot." He paused, eyes darting thoughtfully to the side. "It got me thinking, now that Scarlett has had a chance to settle in with us would it be possible to begin working with her a little? Test her abilities? It might focus her more, give her back some feeling of control."

Splinter took a moment to ponder Leonardo's words, stroking his beard slowly as he did so. "You have touched upon a matter I have been giving much thought to my son." He answered eventually. "I too think Scarlett could benefit greatly from advancing her training with us. However my concern is that she is not yet ready to move forward, that any pressure we apply to her could have dire results." Both student and master became quiet as they remembered the last time Scarlett had shifted into her leopard form right there in their home, Splinter repressed a small shudder.

"What do you have in mind Master?" Leo turned questioning eyes to his father, what he saw there sent a thrill of _something_ down his spine. Splinters face was set into a hard expression.

"Something rather unpleasant I'm afraid, but it must be done before we proceed any further." Master Splinter gave a determined nod "I will need yours and Raphael's help..."

* * *

_The floor is cold. The stone walls are cold. The air is cold and the cell is pitch black. I know all this, but it doesn't really reach me where I'm tucked away inside the leopards mind...am I going crazy?_

_...a buzzing sound, my mind is spinning... Donny...have the turtles found out I'm here? Have they come to rescue me? ...one of the figures has a shell, green legs pumping and purple bandana tails waving behind him as he runs away from me..._

_I need to yell...muscle and bone contort painfully...I fall to the floor, God it hurts so bad, "Donny..." I struggle to my knees, grit digging into my bare shins. I take a deep breath and lift my head. "DONNY!" I desperately struggle forward, trying to follow after him. "I'm here!" Cold metal hands dug into the naked flesh of my arms and legs, a bare silver limb wraps around my waist, they're taking me back. "DONNY!" I'm pulled from the floor in a painful grip. "Donny..." this time his name breaks on a sob as I fight. "No, let me go. He was supposed to get me...Donny!" Tears were obscuring my vision, "I'm right here, doesn't he realise...?"_

_"Scarlett!"_

* * *

I'd always thought that the whole idea of people gasping awake as they sat bolt upright in bed was a load of crap made up by movie producers or something, but as I ran a hand over my forehead and felt the cold sweat there I realised it just might be a real thing. The dream I'd surfaced from had launched me awake and, instead of drifting off into a cloud of foggy memory like the others, it was still clear as day. I shuddered and slid my legs out from under the covers so I was sitting with my feet on the floor. The underground Kraang lab had seemed so real, just as cold and bleak as ever. My subconscious had dragged the memory of that awful place up to torture me with a few times but never so vividly. Donny, right there in front of me but leaving me there to rot. I scrubbed my hands over my face as if I could scrub away the dream as well.

I hadn't told Donatello that I'd seen him there that time, there didn't really seem to be a way to bring it up with him. "Hey Donny boy, remember that time you were strolling around in an underground Kraang lair? Well guess what..." Now that I knew him better I could guess what his reaction would be to that revelation and it wasn't pretty. And what would be the point anyway? It's not like he could go back in time to fix it or anything.

My subconscious was still hanging onto it though, obviously it wanted answers. What had Donatello been doing there? The question niggled at me, kept me on edge. Especially coupled with the fact that the brainy turtle had, along with a heap of other alien technology, a spare mind control device just floating around in his lab. The device that Raph had waved in my face, setting off a very bad reaction of the shifting type.

Speaking of shifting...I glanced at the clock on my bedside table and groaned. I had missed breakfast. The turtles would have just finished their training and I was in danger of missing my meditation session with Splinter if I didn't get my ass moving. How could I sleep so much and still feel like crap all the time? Last night was a bit easier to explain, I'd lain awake for ages thinking about my introduction to April and slowly dying of mortification. Typical Scarlett timing true to form.

For the millionth time I ran through last night in my head as I grabbed a fresh change of clothes and headed for the shower.

* * *

"Who the heck was _that_?"

I had grasped the balcony with one hand and pulled myself up unsteadily. Peeking over the edge of the rail I'd immediately seen that there was a full house down below. Mikey, Leo and Raph had all stood gaping up at me with expressions ranging from shocked concern to the beginnings of humour. At the top of the steps leading to the kitchen was Master Splinter, face drawn into a frown and hands clasped behind his back. Just beyond him Donny had stood with his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a girl with red hair wearing a yellow t-shirt. I'd zero'd in on her for a moment as realisation kicked in. My face had flushed and I'd wanted to sink through the floor.

Fucking April O'Neil.

"That," Mikey's voice had been overly cheerful "that is Scarlett." He'd craned his neck to look up at me and the sheepish grin on his face hadn't done anything to make me feel better. "C'mon Scar, come say hello."

Suddenly I'd felt very out of place, like April had come home to find me sitting in her spot or something. I'd scanned the room below and found all of them staring at me expectantly, Leo, Raph and Splinter hadn't been easy to read but Donny and Mikey had both looked anxious. Why would they have looked anxious?

I'd looked around myself for an escape but then deflated when I realised I had nowhere to go, well nowhere except the storage room above but that was now being blocked by a jumble of suitcases so, unless I just stood there awkwardly until they all went away, I didn't have a choice but to accept Mikey's invitation. "Sure." I'd replied reluctantly and slowly started making my way down the stairs. By the time I'd reached the bottom everyone except Splinter had moved forward to meet me. April was in their midst and watching me curiously. I'd been intensely aware that this was the moment I was meeting the famous April, a girl I'd heard a lot about over the last few weeks but who knew nothing about me.

I'd fidgeted a little, tried to brush myself free of the dust clinging to my clothes. I'd finally looked up from under my brow and scanned the group in front of me feeling more uncomfortable than ever. When my gaze had met Aprils her eyes had widened in surprise and I'd been reminded of that night, only a few weeks ago in Donny's lab, when Mikey had had the same reaction. Now I knew it was because my eyes weren't in the least bit human looking, yellow and feral.

April meet Scarlett," Mikey had spoken up again, turning his grin on April who had turned her confused stare from me to him "she's staying with us for a while."

"Oh, hello Scarlett." April had said with automatic politeness, her voice unsure. "Nice to meet you." Her eyes flicked over me then slid over to Donatello questioningly and he'd given her an awkward smile in return.

"Hi." I'd mumbled back, unsure of what else to say. I'd been able to tell by the look on her face that she had a heap of questions but was too polite to ask right off the bat.

Suddenly an uneasy feeling gripped me hard and my chest had tightened in familiar encroaching panic. What was she going to think of me when she found out who I was and why I was here? My gaze had shifted to Raphael involuntarily, what if she hated me as much as he did when she found out that I was the sister of a Purple Dragon? That the Kraang had mutated me and the Foot had controlled me? Raph's eyes bored into me and right then I'd been so sure that he'd been about to speak out against me that when his mouth opened I'd actually jumped in fright.

"I gotta..." I'd spoken so loudly Raph's mouth snapped shut again and the others had all stared at me quizzically. I motioned with one hand vaguely in the direction of the bedrooms and started shuffling in that direction "I need to...you know...get changed or...or..." Then I'd made a run for it, not stopping until I'd reached my room and practically dove under the covers, clothes and all.

* * *

I finished up in the bathroom and rolled my eyes at myself as I flung the door open and stomped out crankily. So what if April didn't like me? Lots of people didn't like me, I was so sick of feeling cruddy. What I needed was to go see Donny, tell him about my stupid dream last night so that maybe my stupid subconscious could stop giving me a stupid hard time. I felt bad that it might make him feel bad but, if getting it off my chest helped me not to dream about it again, I was going to do it anyway. If I hurried I probably had enough time before my session with Splinter.

I made it half way up the corridor when my footsteps faltered and I came to a cautious halt. Just ahead of me was something I hadn't seen before, Raph's bedroom door was sitting wide open. I had only been living here a short while but even I knew that Raph's door was never left ajar. It only ever opened for just enough time for the red banded turtle to enter or exit then it was slammed shut firmly with a literal sign on it to tell everybody to go away. I glanced behind myself nervously then peered up the corridor, no one was in sight. I listened hard, ears straining, but didn't hear anything either. When a minute passed and he didn't emerge curiosity got the better of me, the dark portal beckoned. If I ever wanted to know what Raph's room looked like now was my chance.

Every step I took was slow and careful, I was half expecting Raphael to suddenly jump out and yell boo or something. Or worse, give me another ear bashing about how awful I was. The thought was nearly enough to send me scurrying past without looking back, there was a reason I had been avoiding him. I reached the doorway without incident and peeked inside, leaning on the doorjamb tentatively, ready to bolt at any second. The interior of the room was very dark but even so I could tell that it was every bit as big as Mikey's. My eyes swept the area curiously and immediately caught on something that made my breath catch in my throat. Was that a...? I leaned inward, shoving the door open even wider so that the soft light from the hallway could reach into the depths of Raph's room a little better. No way, Raph had a drum kit in his room. I'd just had time to see that it was a basic five piece and make out the Pearl logo on the base when a shadow fell over my shoulder and a rough voice growled in my ear "What the hell are you doing?"

I flinched, nearly coming out of my skin as a whirled around and came face to face with Raphael. "Nothing." The words dropped out of my mouth automatically.

His eyes bored into mine, swept out to glance over my shoulder then darted back to me with a narrowed look. "Stay outta my room."

I felt my jaw jerk forward stubbornly "I wasn't in your room." I spat, looking pointedly down to where my toe rested right on the threshold before glaring back up at him. "I wouldn't be caught _dead_ in your room." His face dropped into a deeper scowl as I ducked around him and began stalking away down the hall.

From behind me there was a heavy sigh then he gritted out "Scarlett, hold up a sec."

"No." Footsteps behind me, hurrying to catch up and I quickened my pace, I didn't need to hear what he had to say.

"I got something I need to tell you." He must have broken into a jog because he sounded a lot closer. The end of the hallway suddenly seemed a long way away.

"No!" I said, louder this time and started outright running.

There was a growl of frustration, a hand caught my wrist before I could go more than two steps. I whirled around and started shoving at him with my free hand. "Stop it!" He batted me away "Will you just listen? I'm trying to say..."

"NO!" I hissed in anger, "I don't need to hear it again ok? I heard you last time and I've stayed out of your way ever since. Now piss off." The venom in my voice must have gotten through to him because when I tugged and twisted my wrist he let me go, I streaked away without a backward glance and made a straight line for Donny's lab.

* * *

Raph gritted his teeth in frustration as he watched Scarlett disappear around the end of the corridor. "God damn it!" That was the first time he'd been able to corner the little brat alone to try and apologise to her and she'd taken off again before he could get the words out. With an aggravated huff he stomped back to his room and flipped the light on as he entered. He paused in the doorway as he remembered that she had been standing here just a moment ago staring at something that interested her. Must have been the drum kit he thought distractedly as he closed the door with his foot and crossed to flop onto his bed, it was the only thing in line of sight from the threshold.

He grimaced as he thought about facing Mikey later, his little brother was getting tired of the ongoing tension between Raph and Scarlett and had started nagging him several times a day about Raph's promise to make things right with her. He'd tried explaining that it was hard to talk to someone who could seemingly vanish into thin air whenever she wanted like a damn...well..._cat_, but the excuse was wearing thin. The only time he and Scarlett were in the same room together for more than a few moment before she scarpered was at meal times and there was no way he was going to try and smooth things over with an audience watching. Jesus, he'd rather poke his own eyes out with a spoon.

Truth was he did feel bad, he'd been way too hard on her when he'd yelled at her. Even if she was dangerous she was still just a kid. She obviously wanted to get better too, she'd been working with Master Splinter every day without fail. His eyes fell to his upper arm and the fresh scar she'd left there, still crusted with a long scab. She was a threat to the family though, he wasn't backing down on that point...

A knock sounded on his bedroom door and he barked out a rude order to go away. When his door opened anyway he turned his head, unsurprised to see Leo standing there, neither of his remaining brothers would've have dared. "What?"

Leo's face was hard. "Master Splinter has a task for us."

* * *

My heart was still thudding when I got to Donatello's lab and I paused at the large metal door to take some deep calming breaths. I looked down at my arm where Raph had held onto me, there were no red marks there and I frowned as I realised that he hadn't actually grabbed me so much as circled his fingers around my wrist, tight enough that I couldn't pull free but not enough to hurt. I shook my head, whatever, he was still not getting the chance to say anything to me if I could help it.

When I entered the lab I straight away found Donny tinkering at his desk, vials and beakers spread out before him. With his goggles and lab coat on he looked like a crazy scientist that had turned himself green, Bruce Banner without the rage. Despite my nerves I smiled as I came up beside him and tugged on his sleeve.

"Huh?" He blinked down at me through his goggles, large brown eyes made comically huge. "Oh, Scarlett hi. Sorry but I can't talk right now, Master Splinter only just let us out of training which means I have just a few hours before April gets here. I want to be able to show her how far I've gotten with a retro-mutagen for her father." He turned away from me and kept working, his words all coming out in a rush as he continued to take notes on the beaker full of bubbling mutagen on his desk.

I couldn't help scowling a little at the mention of April's name but brushed it off and tugged on Donny's sleeve again insistently. "But Donny," my voice was unintentionally whiney "I need to tell you..."

"I said not now Scarlett." His voice was getting irritated, he didn't even look at me this time. Instead he abruptly turned and headed towards his computer muttering something about chemical strands under his breath, white coat billowing out behind him like a cape.

I huffed in annoyance, it crossed my mind to just leave it and try another time but I was here now and starting to feel stubborn. I followed him determinedly and managed to be directly in his way when he tried to pace back to his desk again. "Donny I have to tell you about a dream I had last night." I insisted "It was..."

"A dream." Donatello said flatly, cutting my words off mid stream. "I'm working on a retro-mutagen that would benefit a lot of people, yourself included, and you want to tell me about your dream. Seriously Scarlett you're as bad as Mikey."

A sharp flash of hurt went through my chest as I stared up at Donny, speechless. He had never spoken to me like that before, never looked at me like that either, like I was a pest. I felt my lower lip jut out even as my brow lowered and I intensely regretted trying to tell him anything. He was busy, he was always busy, he had a lot of important stuff to do. Even as my anger built I knew all this but a little voice inside my head still whispered that the only time I'd ever gotten his full attention was when I was injured. Any other time and I would have to be...to be..._April_ for him to listen.

I whirled around to leave, stomping away as loudly as I could and determined to add Donatello to my list of turtles to ignore but, when he called my name as I reached the door, I couldn't help pausing to listen. Even if I didn't turn around.

"Scarlett, tonight ok? I'll have time tonight after April goes home."

Ugh, April. "Whatever." I slipped through the door and made my way towards the dojo. Five minutes left until my meditation session.

* * *

Mikey twirled the large pencil between his fingers and hummed thoughtfully as he systematically opened and closed kitchen cupboards, making notes on a pad of paper as he went. Having another mouth to feed wasn't making a huge difference to their weekly grocery order, Scarlett didn't actually eat that much compared to four teenagers who worked out for hours on end every day. Really he just needed a bit more of the basics like bread and milk then the rest stretched to cover her smallish appetite. The most he'd ever seen her eat was the first night and that was after she'd shifted a whole bunch of times.

He'd just sat down at the bench to tally up his list when the girl in question stomped past the kitchen on her way to the dojo. Glancing at the clock on the wall he saw she still had five minutes until her training started. "Yo! Scar!" He called loudly and waited until she popped back into view. "Sup girl?"

"Nothin." Scarlett replied in a tone which suggested the exact opposite. She slouched up to the bench and sat across from him, face drawn into an impressive frown. "Just having the worst day ever."

"Yeah?" He scanned her quickly. Her face was pale above the grey sweater she wore, the one he'd dug out of his human clothes collection for her a few days ago. Her hair was drawn up in a messy bun on top of her head and the dark colour matched the bags under her eyes. He glanced down at her hands and noticed that her nails were chewed right down, she really didn't look too good. "What's happened?" he asked gently.

"April coming back last night, that was pretty awkward." Scarlett made a face and Mikey made one back in sympathy, not the best way to meet someone he had to admit. "Then I had a really bad dream but when I tried to tell Donny about it he yelled at me."

"Donny yelled at you?" Mikey asked in surprise.

She shrugged "Ok, maybe not yelled, but he told me off which was totally unfair. And even before that I ran into Raph in the hallway and I hate seeing him and it was totally awkward."

"Raph talked to you?" Mikey leaned forward in interest. "What did he say?"

She frowned "Just told me to stay outta his room. I wasn't even in his room, I just saw that he had a kit in there and was looking but I never actually went in." She shrugged again "He's such a jerk."

"He didn't say anything else?" Mikey probed curiously.

Scarlett blinked and narrowed her eyes. "He tried to, said he wanted to tell me something. Grabbed my arm when I tried to leave but I got away."

Disappointment coloured Mikey's voice as he gently chided her "Scarlett, you need to listen to what he has to say."

"What?" Her face dropped into a scowl "Why would I after last time? I don't want to listen to anything he has to say. He _hates_ me Mikey."

"You have to." Mikey insisted, ignoring her hurt look as he tried to stress the words to her. "It's important."

"Whatever." Scarlett shoved back from the bench "I gotta go train."

Mikey half rose from his stool as she left then sank back with a sigh. "That did not go well." He muttered to himself.

"What didn't go well?" A voice asked from behind and Mikey turned to see both Raph and Leo stepping into the kitchen.

"Scarlett is having a pretty bad day." Mikey explained briefly, narrowing his eyes on Raph "What did you say to her? Or, more importantly, what _didn't_ you say to her?"

Raphael huffed but was cut off by Leo who said "Don't worry about that now." The youngest turtle was stilled by the serious tone of his voice. "If she's upset then this could be the perfect time."

"Perfect for what?" Mikey's eyes widened as he saw what Leo had in his hands "What the hell is _that_ for? What are you two up to?"

"Relax nimrod." Raph said gruffly "We aren't gonna hurt her."

Leo turned a grim face to his little brother "Splinters orders. Do _not_ interfere."

"What are you guys up to?" Mikey asked again, voice dropping dangerously as he rose slowly from his seat. When Leo dropped a steadying hand onto his shoulder he flinched but didn't shrug it off.

"Master Splinter knows what he's doing. You have to trust us Mikey, can you do that?"

The youngest turtle studied both his brothers for a moment then gave a tense nod. Raph let out the breath he'd been holding then exchanged a quick glance with Leo. "Let's do this."

* * *

This really was turning into the worst day ever. I'd managed to have terse words with Raph, Donny and Mikey all in the space of a half hour. And I was hungry too, my stomach ached emptily reminding me I'd also skipped dinner last night. Meditating was going to be more challenging than usual this morning but I was still looking forward to it. My sessions with Splinter had been getting steadily longer over the last two weeks and I'd been able to sink deeper and deeper into a meditative trance each time. Right now I found myself craving the peaceful state more than ever and was anxious to get started.

I paused at the door to kick my shoes off, my eyes were burning a little so I swiped an arm across them as I entered the dojo then scanned the large space for Master Splinter. He wasn't in his usual spot waiting for me under the tree and I guiltily wondered if I'd missed our start time. "Sensei?" I called out hesitantly, padding across the room on bare feet. The floor was cold even through the rugs that scattered the floor and I shivered a little, pulling the sleeves of my grey sweater down over my hands and wishing I'd worn my beanie. At least I had a few layers on and the material of my black jeans was relatively thick.

This was the first time I'd been alone in the dojo and I took the opportunity to look around. On the wall straight across from me was something I was particularly interested in, I'd noticed it a while ago but never gotten close. It seemed to be some kind of small shine with a photo and some candles burning, as I stepped closer I could see that the picture was of a tall, stern looking man and a shorter woman holding a little baby. I took a few steps closer.

"Scarlett." I jumped a little at the sound of Splinters voice and turned to see him stepping out of his room which was at the other end of the dojo.

"Master Splinter." I replied with a smile, stepping quickly away from the photo and back towards the middle of the room. "I'm really looking forward to our session today, I've had..."

"I'm afraid there will be no meditation lesson for you today." The rat's face was cold and distant to match his tone. My smile faltered then dropped off my face altogether. Splinter and I didn't exactly have a warm fuzzy relationship but he'd never been cold towards me before. I searched my memory for what I could have done to upset him.

"What? Why?" I stuttered.

"I have come to the conclusion that they are of no benefit to anyone, least of all you." He was coming towards me slowly as he spoke. I stared at him in total confusion.

"No benefit?" I parroted "But...you said I was doing well." A cold dread had started pooling in my stomach as I tried desperately to figure out what was going on.

"That was weeks ago," Splinter waved a hand dismissively "you have failed to show any progress since then. I think it is time we accepted the facts as they are."

My mouth opened and closed a few times but nothing came out. I'd made no progress? That didn't make any sense, I thought I'd been doing really well. My limbs felt like lead as Splinter came within arms reach and stopped, looking down at me coldly from his impressive height. His red eyes pierced me and suddenly I felt real fear.

"And what facts are they?" I asked through numb lips, dreading his answer.

"Simply put, we cannot help you."

Each word stabbed at me, I didn't want to hear any more but I forced myself to ask "So I have to leave?" A dream like feeling settled over me, everything was taking on a nightmarish quality. Maybe I was still asleep?

A small smile twisted the rats mouth "Oh no, we can't let you leave. You are far too dangerous to have loose in the city." His gaze left mine for a moment as he nodded at someone over my shoulder. I froze as the sound of two bodies entering the room reached my ears. Their footsteps were light, movements almost noiseless, but in my adrenalin enhanced state I could hear them clearly. Worst of all though was the clinking sound that overrode the footfalls. Chains.

I started backing away from Splinter with shaking steps, angling myself so that I could face both him and the two turtles who had entered the room behind me. None of them made a move as they watched me shuffle my way backwards until I could see all three of them without having to turn my head. Leo and Raph were blocking the doorway and I felt my knees actually buckle a little when I saw that their eyes had gone completely white. They looked like monsters.

"Where's Mikey? Where's Donny?" I asked, hating how scared my voice sounded. I hardened my face and forced some heat into my tone. "Do they know what you're doing?"

"They are aware." Splinter answered simply then with a flick of his paw he motioned to his two eldest sons. Obediently they began advancing on me, the chains dragging from Leo's hands to clank along the floor beside him. My eyes flicked to Raphael as he tossed something in his palm that flashed silver and red. I didn't get a good look at it before it was swallowed up in his green fist but as my panic rose I was certain it was the mind control device.

"I told you before," anger began to equal my fear as I glared at Splinter "I would rather die than be chained again, to be controlled."

"We shall see."

I snarled at Leo and Raph as they kept advancing, my heart beat so wildly in my chest that I was half afraid it would suddenly give out. I could feel the pulse in the back of my skull, the one that urged me to change, but I pushed it back. Instead I pulled deep steady breaths and forced the blue fog of panic to retreat enough for me to think. I couldn't believe this was happening, this family had promised to take me in and help me. Instead they were trying to put me back in chains. It didn't make any sense, I knew that in a far recess of my mind but I dismissed it as something to think about later when I'd gotten out of this mess. Oh God, where was Mikey?

The turtles were closer now, I could see Leo's grip on the length of chain tighten until his knuckles whitened. Only when my back hit the bare brick did I realise I was out of real estate. I brought my hands up into a defensive posture, pathetic when faced with thick shells and the sheer size of the mutants, but I was prepared to fight. I would shift if I had to, I was ready for the explosive pain of it, but first I would try to duck around them and run for it, as soon as they got a little closer...

When Leo and Raph got just beyond reaching distance they both suddenly stopped. My eyes darted around them searching for a way out but they there was still too much space between us, they still had enough time to intercept me. So I waited, chest heaving and limbs trembling as I watched them.

Leo's chain was the first thing to hit the floor, I watched it dumbly as it slithered from his grip to end up in a coiled pile on the carpet. Then Raph was opening his fist, holding it out towards me so I could see there was nothing there but a silver dollar with a red dot painted in the middle. Baffled I looked at their faces I saw their eyes go from pure white back to normal. First Leo's blue then Raph's amber iris' appeared.

"Well done Scarlett." Splinters voice was infinitely warmer and when I turned my head I saw him standing just beyond his sons, watching me with a look I'd never seen before. Satisfaction? "You have passed your test with flying colours. Please forgive our methods, it was important for you to truly believe you were being threatened."

"Test?" It came out on a strangled gasp, I didn't realise my legs had given way until Leo was catching me, strong arms banding around me to hold me up. A wave of dizziness drew a black shroud over my eyes and dulled my ears. For a few moments I heard and saw nothing then the world was blinking into focus again. I found myself looking into Leo's blue eyes which were hovering above, watching me with concern.

"That was scary." I whispered.

* * *

_Oops, better end it there. The story kinda picked up and ran away with me! It was supposed to be about Scarlett's first outing with the turtles but went in a whole different direction. _

_Poor Scarlett, not the best day she'd ever had :( Was it too mean? I'm worried it was too mean. I figure Splinter had to test to see if she can handle her shifting under intense pressure though so..._

_Let me know what your thoughts!_


	24. Frying Pan, Fire

_Thanks for the reviews last chapter guys! All of you feel bad for Scarlett which makes me happy because you like her so much ;) Her bad day can't get much worse...right? Right?!_

_School has gone back and since it's term 4 here in Oz that means my students have end of year performances, reports that need writing, Yr 6 graduation etc etc etc. In other words I am going to be damn busy until Christmas my friends! I will post as often as I can though!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

Raph took a half step forward as Scarlett swayed, he couldn't believe her face had managed to go even whiter, but Leo beat him to it, dropping the chain so he could wrap an arm around her waist and hold her up as her knees buckled. The red banded turtle swallowed hard when he saw her eyes roll back in her head and exchanged a guilty look with his older brother, he felt awful, like there was a brick sitting on his chest. Yelling at the kid two weeks ago when he'd been angry was one thing, deliberately setting out to scare her half to death was another. Both times had put that terrified look on her face regardless. Raph snuck a look at Master Splinter and saw his features were now unreadable except for a slight softness around his eyes as they remained fixed on Scarlett.

"That was scary." Scarlett's voice was thin, she was gazing up at Leo with eyes that were still a little unfocussed. She blinked a few times as colour began returning to her cheeks, turning her head she locked eyes with Raph. Almost immediately her brow lowered and the familiar scowl was back, her hands which had been lying limp on Leo's plastron clenched into fists then began pushing away firmly as she struggled to be set free.

When her struggles increased Leo let her go reluctantly and she staggered back a few steps. Wrapping her arms around her middle she fixed them all with a hard glare, leaving Master Splinter for last and staring at him the longest. Whatever she saw there caused a little of the anger to seep from her body but the set of her jaw was still mutinous as she abruptly turned and made a start for the door.

Again Raph took a step towards her his hand half lifted as if to make a grab at her arm, make her stop. He wasn't sure what his intention were, maybe he just didn't want her to leave until she understood _why_, but her fierce amber ayes flashed as him and he fell back as she hissed "Don't touch me."

There was a brief garble of voices as she passed through the kitchen then their little brother was at the doorway of the dojo with a face like thunder. "What did you guys do?"

* * *

The door to my bedroom slammed behind me hard and I was too confused and angry to even care that I'd just locked myself into a small space. I just needed to vent the turmoil of emotions seething through me. I paced to the far end of my bedroom, a great distance of three steps, then whirled and paced back. With a snarl I opened my bedroom door wide then slammed it again, the resulting crash echoed satisfyingly down the hallway and took away just a tiny bit of the awful feeling.

Those _assholes_. I couldn't believe they'd just done that to me, tricked me like that, made me think I was going to get chained up again. And I'd believed them, the fact that my hands were still shaking attested to that fact. I huffed and clenched my fists as a little voice whispered maybe I _could_ believe what they'd just done, that maybe they had a good reason...but no, no I HATED that they'd deliberately scared me so bad... Unwanted understanding kept creeping around the edges of my hurt and I shoved it away to focus on the swirling indignation instead. Understanding didn't matter right now anyway because hurt was the strongest emotion and it sat like a heavy weight on my chest. Gah. I ran my hands into my hair, pulling sharply at the strands and fuming. I caught sight of myself in the mirror and stared at the pale, frightened looking girl looking back at me. Jesus, I needed to get out of here now. I couldn't handle another second stuffed away down here or I was literally gonna scream.

With jerky movements I shoved my feet into a pair of black hightops, my purple skate shoes were back in the dojo and there was no way in hell I was going back for them right now. For the briefest of seconds I looked at my backpack and considered taking it but then decided against it, as angry as I was I knew I didn't need it. So instead I tucked my board under my arm and opened the door a crack so I could peer out. Seeing no one I slipped through and softly shut it behind me. At the end of the hallway I paused to listen, heated voices were coming from the kitchen, it sounded like they were all in there arguing. I moved quickly, slinking through the lounge pit as quickly as I could while still being quiet. An angry voice rose for a moment "...scared the crap outta her..." Mikey. I shook my head and kept going.

Just as I reached the stairs leading to the turnstiles and freedom the sound of grinding metal cut across the space behind me. I launched myself up the steps and vaulted the barrier in one rush of movement, only pausing for a second to peek around the corner and make sure Donny hadn't spotted me as he came out of his lab, then I sprinted as fast as I could away from the lair along the train tracks.

* * *

"It needed to be done Mikey." Leo shifted his feet and tried to look more confident than he felt as he was glared down by his little brother. The guilt Raph had seen earlier was still there swimming under the surface though. "Master Splinter needed to be certain of his teachings, he was sure Scarlett would succeed and she did. This is a _good_ thing!"

Mikey made a rude noise and turned his shell, speaking angrily over his shoulder as he pulled out the makings of a sandwich from the fridge. "I saw her face as she came out of the dojo. You two scared the absolute crap outta her."

"That was the whole point genius." Raph automatically rose to defend himself "She had to be scared outta her mind or it wasn't a real test."

"Well congratulations, you both did a bang up job scaring the life outta a sixteen year old girl." Mikey slapped ingredients down on the bench so hard both his brothers winced. Leo glanced guiltily at Raph from the corner of his eye and saw that his brothers face was set in stone, defensive and angry. He looked back to Mikey as the orange banded turtle ripped the top off the loaf of bread, pulling out slices as he continued. "I don't see why Donny and I couldn't be there."

"Be there for what?" Donatello asked curiously as he paused in the doorway. He raised his eye ridge at Mikey who was buttering bread with angry jabs of a knife. "Are you making lunch or stabbing it to death?" he added, jumping a little as a jar of mayonnaise rapped smartly against laminate.

"Are you kidding?" Raph spoke through stiff lips, ignoring Donny and stepping forward from where he'd been leaning against the cupboard. "If either of you had been in the room it wouldn't have worked."

"What wouldn't have worked?" Donatello was starting to frown as his gaze flicked between his three brothers. The tension in the air was sharp. "What are you guys talking about?"

Leo held his hands out placatingly, stopping just short of touching his angry brother who for once looked like he would punch anyone who dared lay a finger on him. "Mikey," he said soothingly "I get why you are upset but Sensei chose Raph and I for a reason. We don't...you know, _know_ her as well as you and Donny do and..."

"The two of you could get to know her a little, maybe even like her, if you put in a bit of effort." The youngest turtle fixed his red banded brother a heated glare. "Actually freakin apologise for being such a monumental _jerk_!"

"I do like..." Leo began earnestly but was cut off mid sentence.

"_I've been trying to apologise to that stubborn kid for two goddamn weeks!_" Raph roared, fists clenched and eyes blazing.

"Obviously not _hard enough_!" Mikey roared back, stepping around the counter and coming beak to beak with his brother.

"That's enough!" Donatello reached out and placed one hand on the back of each of their heads, pushing sharply he rapped their skulls together with a dull thud. The cloud of tension dissipated a little as both turned to glare at the brainy turtle, rubbing at their foreheads. Unrepentant, Donatello folded his arms and surveyed them both with a no nonsense expression. "What the hell are you guys talking about? What's happened with Scarlett?"

Leo sighed and answered for them. "Sensei asked Raph and I to help him with a test. He wanted to see if Scarlett could stop herself from shifting when she was scared by using the meditation techniques they've been practicing."

"They deliberately terrified her in other words." Mikey grumbled as he retreated a little, turning back to the bench and shoving the finished sandwich into a paper bag before slamming doors open and closed as he packed away ingredients.

"It's what they've been training for for two weeks and it worked," Leo's tone was thick with frustration "she passed with flying colours. Now we can start training with her properly which is what she wants. She asked me yesterday..."

"Where is she?" Donny's tone took on a harder edge as he cut his brother off. Leo threw his hands up in frustration and sank back onto his stool with a sour look.

"In her room," Mikey jabbed a thumb towards the bedrooms "she stormed past me then slammed her way in there a few minutes ago...why?"

Donatello was already out the kitchen door. Less than a minute later he was back again, meeting his brothers in the lounge. "She's gone." His words were clipped as he scanned the lair quickly "And so's her board."

"Ah crap." Raph groaned. "She's gone topside."

"I'm going..." Donny turned on his heel to make a start for the turnstiles but was stopped when Leo snagged his shell.

"You can't Don, it's broad daylight up there. You'll be seen before you get two feet."

Donatello tugged himself free but didn't argue with his brother. Instead he glared at Raph and Leo evenly and said in a low voice. "She has the Foot, Kraang and Purple Dragons after her. If anything happens to her while she's up there alone..." He didn't finish the sentence, just left it hanging there while his two elder brothers shifted uncomfortably.

"It's ok D I've got this, just pass me your phone." Mikey held a hand out as his purple banded brother stared at him in confusion for a moment before slowly handing over his T-phone. Mikey grabbed it and tapped a few buttons, letting out a satisfied grunt he held out the screen out for the others to see. "She's heading south towards Coleman Square, there's a skate park there." His brothers looked from the flashing red dot on the screen to their little brothers grinning face.

"Where's _your_ phone?" Leo asked slowly even though he already knew the answer.

"I planted it on her as she went past me," Mikey gave a modest shrug "I figured she might need to go get some air after that stunt you guys pulled and thought tracking her would come in handy. She's been going pretty stir crazy these last few days." His grin returned and spread even wider over his face at the looks the other turtles were giving him but then he held up a finger as he warned "I'd give it twenty before you try calling her though, she was pretty pissed."

"Mikey that's...really clever." Donatello was impressed as he took the phone back and studied the map with the blinking dot. "There's still the issue of her being exposed though, I hate that she's out there alone and we won't be able to go topside for another hour at least. Are you sure we can't just call her and tell her to come back?"

The youngest turtle shot a pointed look at Raph "I dunno, what do you reckon bro? Would you be ready for people to start bugging you after just ten minutes?"

Raphael rolled his eyes at the comparison but then shook his head "Nah, she needs a bit longer to cool off."

"But surely her safety comes first?" The brainy turtles brow pinched with worry.

Even as Donny spoke the words Leo had his own T-phone pressed to his ear "I've got it." His face flooded with relief as the person on the other end answered the phone. "Hey April? I need to ask a favour..."

While his eldest brother asked April for help Raphael pointed to the brown paper bag in Mikey's hand and frowned "So what's that for?"

"Dude," Mikey said reproachfully as if it was obvious "it's for when we find her. She hasn't eaten all day, she'll be much easier to talk to if we come bearing food."

* * *

"Faaarrrrrrrrk." I let out a long hiss as I got to the top of the subway steps and moved into the sunlight. A lady walking past gave me a disapproving sniff but I ignored her as I blinked and held a hand up to shade my face. It was getting late, the winter sun was thin and already sinking to the horizon but after six months spent underground in various locations even the waning afternoon sun seemed brutally bright. My eyes were watering so I lowered them to the pavement as I walked while they adjusted. As I ambled along my breathing slowed quickly, the run down the train line and climb to the surface had got my heart rate going but done little to bank the turmoil in my head. My stomach felt sick with hunger which caused me to vehemently wish I'd had the chance to grab some food but I dismissed the idea of going back just yet, all I wanted was to use up some more energy and not think for a while. Dropping my board to the ground I stepped onto it lightly as I made my way towards the skatepark.

* * *

"Hey Red! Wait up!"

April whirled around at the sound of Casey's voice and smacked her forehead with a groan. "Casey, I'm so sorry I forgot!" She walked backwards down the street until he caught up with her then turned forward again as he fell in beside her. "I can't tutor you this afternoon, something's come up."

"No problem." Casey shrugged, he paused for a moment to let her go first as a group of people passed heading in the opposite direction. He switched his bike so he was pushing it on the right then jogged to catch up to her again. "What's the big emergency, not another robot attack is it?" His tone was hopeful.

"Oh, uh. No." April tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and thought about how to answer. "It's a friend of mine's, um, little sister. She's alone the skate park and I've been asked to keep an eye on her until her brothers can get there and take her home."

"Are these the friends you were talking about before? Did you guys finally make up?"

April smiled a little as she nodded." Yeah, yesterday actually after the whole thing at the ice rink. I thought about what you said, about how some things are out of our control and you were right. I went to see them to say I was sorry for holding a grudge."

"Well I am a pretty smart guy you know." Casey smiled his gap toothed smile. "Want me to come with you to the park? I'm pretty good with little sisters." He offered.

"Are you sure?" April raised an eyebrow "It's not really that big a deal, they just want me to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble before they get there to take her home. I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you kidding? After yesterday I'm not letting anyone I know walk alone." He gave a theatrical shudder. "There could be freaky robot ninjas with chainsaws for arms around every corner! And besides, I've got nothing else to do. My date stood me up." Casey winked at her cheekily and she shoved his shoulder in retaliation.

"Watch it Jones." She admonished with a grin. Fishing around in her pocket she dug out her phone and checked her messages. "The park is a little ways from here so we better get going."

"Wanna lift?" Casey motioned to the back of his bike then laughed when April screwed her face up. "Yeah ok, lets walk."

By the time they got to Coleman Square the sun was starting to set. Some of the local kids were still hanging around but as it was getting darker and colder they were packing up to head home. April climbed up on an empty bench to get a better view of the park. Casey dropped his bike on the ground then joined her, asking as he jumped up "Ok, so, what does this girl look like?"

"She's wearing black jeans and a grey sweater," April answered as she scanned the area "her hair is dark and the guys said she's got her red skateboard with her."

Casey nodded, "I'll go this way." He jerked a thumb over his right shoulder then paused "What's this girl's name anyway?"

"Scarlett." April called out in reply as they both went their separate ways.

* * *

A little while later I was doing a pretty good job of not thinking about all the crap from the last twenty four hours. Every now and then a memory would start trying to edge in on my thoughts, like Leo's narrowed white eyes coming at me, but I would stamp down on it ruthlessly and concentrate on skating instead. I'd had my new board for two weeks now but I hadn't really had a chance to test it out properly. The half pipe in the lair was pretty small and I'd only used it the once so, as soon as I'd arrived at the park, I started by running through a few tricks to see how she handled. For a start the Vision board was bigger than I was used to, flat ground tricks were a bit harder so for a while I just ran through different footwork. Time melted away while I practiced ollies and flips in an empty section of the park. When that got boring I moved on to the low rails and ramps. I was saving the bowl for last as it was my favourite.

When my back pocket suddenly let out a series of musical beeps and vibrated against my butt I was so badly startled I actually stumbled off my board, clapping a hand over my ass as I barely avoided tripping over. When a nearby pair of kids sniggered at me I glared at them then turned away while I fished the offending item out of my jeans. Holding it up I blinked when I saw that it was one of the turtle's phones, the curved olive green device shook in my hand as it rang again and I hesitantly flipped it over. "What the hell?" I muttered as I saw a pic of Donny lit up on the screen. I paused for a moment before swiping the green icon to answer the call and held it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Scarlett!" Mikey's voice was cheery.

"Mikey?" I ran a hand through my hair, so surprised I completely forgot I was supposed to be angry at him and his brothers. "How the hell did you get your phone into my pocket without me noticing?"

"Ninja." He replied and I rolled my eyes at the smug tone in his voice.

Fighting back a reluctant grin I switched the phone to my other ear. "Showoff" I accused, a smile finally twisting my mouth when he chuckled down the line. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see if you'd cooled off yet." His voice was light but I immediately frowned as my mood dropped again. "It's been nearly an hour since you left and Donny is doing his best impression of a mother hen." He lowered his voice and there was scuffling sounds as though he was cupping the mouthpiece. "Leo and Raph are worried too, they feel really bad about upsetting you."

At this I scowled and kicked at the ground without answering. After a moment there was a sigh on the other end of the line, "It's nearly dark, Leo asked April to come and keep you company until we get there. We are heading out now ok? I'm bringing you a sandwich." He ended on a sing song note.

I ignored my stomach as it growled at the mention of food and blurted out "April?" My voice rose incredulously. "What the hell? What did you call _her_ for?"

"Scarlett, do you really think it's a good idea to be out alone?" Mikey's voice sharpened a little. "You have a whole bunch of bad guys looking for you and April can watch your back until we get there."

I huffed in answer but, of course, Mikey was right. In fact him reminding me that I was probably being searched for right now made me think of all the reasons I'd been staying underground and a twist of fear went through my stomach as I looked around uneasily. I groaned when a flash of red hair and yellow t-shirt caught my eye, the wariness was immediately replaced with unease of another kind. "Jeez here she comes now, this is so awesome." I said sarcastically.

"Be nice." Mikey admonished "Go with April to her place and we'll meet you soon."

"Bite me." I pouted.

"Awww, love you too." He replied with syrupy sweetness before hanging up.

I grimaced at the phone then watched April approach with narrowed eyes. This was just freakin perfect, I'd escaped the lair to try and clear my head and ended up face to face with April O'Neil. I knew I was being mean and petty, it was obvious that she'd dropped everything to come looking for me at the turtle's request, but the last person I wanted to see when I felt like a bag of crap was little miss perfect.

As April got closer she hesitated when she got a good look at my face. If I looked anything like I felt then I didn't blame her. Her steps faltered as she came to a stop in front of me. "Scarlett?"

"Yeah?" My eyes flicked over April once then settled sullenly on her face.

She tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear and cleared her throat "The guys sent me, they were worried about you."

"I know," I said tersely as I pointedly waggled the t-phone back at her then shoved it back into my pocket "I got the message. You shouldn't have bothered."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise then pinched together as her expression changed to one of confused annoyance. "Nice attitude." She crossed her arms over her chest. "What's your problem? A little gratitude would hurt you know."

"You expected me to _thank_ you?" All the anger I'd been trying to ignore started coiling up my chest and into my throat, "I don't need you to come babysit me." My voice was rising hotly with each word. "I don't need _anyone_ to babysit me, I can take care of myself and I'm fine. They know I can control myself now..." I snapped my mouth shut and mentally slapped myself as April's eyebrows shot to her hairline.

"Control yourself?" April looked me over suspiciously "Why would you have to control yourself?"

Damn it, my stupid big mouth. I was groping for a way to respond when I suddenly caught sight of a tall, lanky figure approaching from behind April's shoulder. All other thoughts flew out of my head as I immediately recognised the narrow face, dark hair tied back with a bandana and dark clothes splattered with paint. "You've got to be fucking _kidding_ me!" I blurted out in shock.

April tore her confused, angry stare away from me and whirled around. "Casey!" I gaped at the back of her head in disbelief as she called his name. "I found Scarlett but I'm starting to wish I hadn't." She shot me a look from the corner of her eye.

"Casey?" I echoed loudly, ignoring her comment. The guy approaching faltered mid step as I said his name. "You know Casey Jones?" Realisation dawned. "Oh, wait, please don't tell me this is the guy you've been swinging with. This is just _perfect_!"

"What?" April's confusion visibly deepened "Swinging? What's that supposed to mean?"

Casey squinted at me for a second before his face contorted with recognition "_You_?" He spluttered "This is who I've been helping you look for all afternoon?" He glared at me disdainfully before turning to April "She's a complete delinquent! I caught her robbing a store a few weeks ago."

Heat slammed into my cheeks as April stared at me in shocked surprise, I took a step towards Casey and jabbed a finger at him. "You don't know anything about me asshole." I hissed "And you didn't catch me robbing _shit_." I was splitting hairs there but at this point I didn't give a crap. "You know what? Have fun hanging out together, I'm going to make my own way home." I threw the last bit over my shoulder as I stormed away.

* * *

A small group of kids laughed and shoved at each other as they made their way along the street. Darkness was fully blanketing the city now and this was _their_ time, cockiness adding swagger to their every step as they crowded the sidewalk. Pedestrians hurried past them, heads down so as not to draw their attention and the young teens revelled in the feeling of power.

Another teenager, a girl with dark hair and a face like thunder, ignored them as she pushed through the middle of their group roughly. Her disregard for them caused them to pause and watch her, several members calling out rude comments which she showed no reaction to other than to jab her middle finger up at them over her shoulder. They watched with hard eyes as the girl with the red skateboard stalked to the end of the block and turned right.

One of the boys was more thoughtful than angry, he squinted after her then clicked his fingers in recognition "Was that...?" He fished a crumpled bit of paper from his pocket and unfolded it carefully, smoothing out the wrinkles and studying the photo. "That was the girl the Dragons have been looking for. See?" His voice rose in excitement as he held out the picture for the others to look at, one by one delighted smiles broke out over their faces as they too recognised the girl and saw the reward offered.

As one the group switched directions to follow, breaking into a jog to close the distance. The guy with the photo refolded the paper as he ran, shoving it back into his pocket before digging out his cell and swiping it on. "Hello? Yeah, I've found someone you're after..."

* * *

I was pretty sure I was being followed. It was an uncomfortable sensation that had alerted me, a tickling along the back of my neck. Stomping down the street and fuming had kept my mind occupied for most of the distance back to the lair but now anger was trickling away in favour of indecision as I realised things were taking a serious turn. I wasn't far from the subway steps that led down to the tracks but I didn't want to get much closer. I couldn't lead anyone back to the turtles, to my refuge, just the thought of it made me feel sick. With no idea what to do I took another corner and changed direction.

When I'd travelled partway down the block I cast a look over my shoulder quickly and gulped when I saw the same group of kids I'd pushed through earlier round it behind me. It was them who'd sparked this uneasy feeling in my gut. They were trying to act casual, chatting and mucking around with each other, but the when I made brief eye contact with one of them I could see sharpened interest in his gaze. Shit. I turned to walk faster, clutching my board tightly and ducking around another corner into an ally. It was a trick I'd used before, the same method that had gotten me away from Casey Jones a few weeks ago. As soon as I was out of sight in the darkened ally I looked for the nearest escape and started climbing, my skateboard under my arm and hindering my movements. From a dumpster to a service ladder it felt like it took far too long for me to scramble up the side of the building. I was exposed against the brick, my breath bouncing off the surface in front of me in frantic puffs until finally I reached the top ledge and safety.

Rolling over the lip of the roof I lay flat for a moment and breathed through my open mouth as quietly as I could. It was unlikely anyone could hear me from two stories below but I needed my heart to stop pounding in my ears so I could think. Hopefully I'd been fast enough and they hadn't seen me. Finally I plucked up the courage to sit and peek over the ledge down into the ally. It was dark down there of course but I found that if I focussed I could make out shapes quite easily. At the mouth of the ally were a group of figures just standing and blocking the way out. I could see their heads twisting around, searching, but other than that they didn't move. There was a flash of rectangular shaped light as one of them held a phone to their ear and I strained to hear the conversation as he muttered into his cell but their voice was lost amongst the sounds from the street. The light disappeared leaving the group shadowed again. I frowned, waiting for them to do something, start searching the ally maybe, but they just stood there like they were on guard.

I lowered myself back down and looked around. The ledge I was hiding behind bordered a small area that was more like a platform than a roof. On all three sides walls stretched up towards the main roof several stories above me, small windows here and there with frosted glass told me that this was the side of the building that had all the bathrooms. No one was likely to open their toilet window and look down on me, but if I climbed up using the network of water pipes that crisscrossed the walls I would be easy to spot from below. Maybe if I just stayed here and bided my time the group below would give up and go away?

A bustle of sound from below had me sitting up and peeking over the edge again. The group of kids were still there but now there were some taller figures in among them. They seemed to be arguing so I strained my ears to listen.

"...in there hiding, she hasn't gotten past us and there's no way out. We want our money!" a petulant voice demanded. My stomach went cold. Shit. The group of kids had called someone and told them I was here. The Kraang? Purple Dragons? Sweat broke out along my brow, how was I going to get out of this? Why had I even left the lair? Stupid stupid _stupid_ Scarlett.

I shifted my position slightly and a hard lump in my back pocket twigged at the edges of my fear. Mikey's phone. I carefully shifted my hips to one side and slid my hand into my back pocket to inch the cell out. Curving my hand around it so it didn't scrape loudly on the concrete I brought it around to my chest and clasped it there like a life line.

I was just about to swipe it on to call for help when a new voice from below froze every muscle in my body. My mouth dropped open in disbelief and my scalp tingled as the familiar grating tone reached my ears. The actual words were lost on me in my shock but I'd know that voice anywhere, I shakily sat up and looked over the edge of the roof. One of the taller figures standing amongst the group below was motioning angrily, a sweep of an arm enough to send the group of kids slinking reluctantly out of the ally and back onto the street. As they retreated he turned and his face was briefly lit by a street light, it was enough. My breath caught in my throat and I had just enough self awareness not to make a sound.

Hayden was down there.

* * *

_Hey guys I'm sorry I got stuck on this chapter for so long. Good news is I couldn't sleep so I'm here finishing it up and posting at 5am. Bad news is its 5am and not the best time to be proof reading! Let me know what you think :)_


	25. Delirium

_Oh my God 7,500 words! And I wrote this all in one day! This is twice as long as the very first chapters I started writing for this story :p Hope you like it and it isn't too long for you._

_Tee hee, this chapter is a shout out to one of my fave 2012 episodes ever. I bet you will all know which one :)_

_Warning - there is an **extremely** long and fluffy heart-to-heart at the end of this chapter. Totally needed after so much crappy stuff has happened to poor Scarlett!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

"Go on, get outta here." Hayden growled at the group of kids. They huffed and grumbled but ultimately slunk away as he swept his arm out in the direction of the street. "If she's here you get your money. If not..." He let his voice trail off threateningly and behind him he heard the sniggers of Fong, Sid and Tsoi as the kids faces whitened visibly, their steps quickened and they hastened away.

Ignoring them Hayden turned back to the ally and scanned it slowly. It was dark the buildings either side cut out the light even further and there were plenty of shadows to hide amongst. Hope rose in his chest, to finally find Scarlett after all this time...Hayden frowned, he was going to shake her so hard her teeth rattled, the little brat. After he made sure she was ok of course. What came after that he had no idea, he didn't have the faintest clue as to what kind of mess she'd gotten herself into or how to get her out again. All he was really sure of was that it was some pretty deep shit if the Foot were looking for her.

"Wait here." Hayden ordered quietly without looking around. The three Purple Dragons at his back halted obediently, leaving him to proceed alone. The ally wasn't too deep but it was wide and cluttered. He took the few final steps that were that was needed to have him completely shrouded in darkness then waited while his eyes adjusted.

"Scarlett?" Hayden's voice boomed back to him off the cold brick. A clatter of falling glass, bottles most likely, immediately sounded from behind a mound of black garbage bags. Before he even had time to zero in on the noise a pair of squirrels darted into the open then skittered up a drainpipe on the wall. He followed them with his gaze then frowned thoughtfully up towards the roof line. Something about that spot pulled at his attention, a niggling feeling at the back of his neck.

He let his eyes drop as he began the task of searching the ally at ground level, taking his time and stepping quietly as he peered behind dumpsters, into shallow doorways and under a stack of boxes tucked right back at the rear. It only took a minute and, when he'd satisfied himself, he leant back on the brick wall and peered up at the roof again, the niggling feeling was still there. "Where are you little sister?" He called conversationally as he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapped one free, sticking it into the corner of his mouth while he fished for a light. As the flame ignited the end of the cigarette and temporarily blinded him with it's red glow, his phone rang loudly in his back pocket. Sucking back a lungful of smoke quickly he reached for it and studied the screen. Unknown number. "Yeah?" He blew out a plume of smoke on the word.

"You know those are bad for you."

Her voice was small as though she was whispering, so welcomingly familiar Hayden couldn't help but squeeze his eyes shut on a wave of relief even as he let out a huff of laughter. He was glad of the support of the wall behind his as he took another pull on his smoke, his hand shook ever so slightly. "You ok?" His voice was thick, the two words came out slightly strangled.

"I've been better but...yeah, I'm ok I guess." He was glad to hear her voice was unsteady too. There were a few seconds of silence as they both searched for where to start.

"It's been over six months," Hayden finally settled on asking the biggest question first, "what the hell happened?"

Over the line there was the sound of rustling, as if she was changing position, then a sniff accompanied by a dry laugh. "I've been asking myself the same thing." She answered. "Basically?" There was another hesitant pause. "Hayden...I got mutated."

A cold hand gripped his chest. "You what?"

"Mutated." She repeated flatly. "I know it sounds crazy but..."

"No it doesn't." Hayden bit out through clenched teeth as an image of Xever's freakish body flashed through his mind. It sounded like what the mutant fish had told him was true, Scarlett had volunteered to take part in a top secret project with the Foot. Then she'd run away and now they wanted her back. He rubbed a thumb along his eyebrow hard, careful not to burn himself, and pinched his eyes shut as he struggled for words. "What kind of...?" He trailed off.

"What kind of freak am I?" She sniffed again "They used leopard DNA."

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Hayden's attention, glancing to his right he saw that Fong, Sid and Tsoi were shifting as they grew impatient with his 'search', any moment now they were going to come and see what was taking so long. "Scarlett I don't have much time. The Foot Clan are looking for you, they want you back and they've enlisted the help of the Purple Dragons." He said urgently, pressing the phone harder into his ear and enunciating each word. "Wherever you've been hiding for the last two weeks for your own sake _stay there_, lie low."

"But what about you?" the incredulous hurt in her voice made him wince and he scowled, resisting the pull of guilt in his chest. "Are you just going to keep working for the Purple Dragons?"

"I _am_ the Purple Dragons Scarlett." Hayden said it harshly, steeling himself against her gasp of pain. "I've been in charge of this territory for months now which means I'm the one looking for you and if I find you I have to take you back to the Foot."

"What? No..._no_!" She was starting to cry quietly and the hitching in her breath tore at him.

"Why wouldn't you leave with me when we still had the chance? I _told_ you we had to go but you wouldn't listen. _You never listen_!"

"And I told _you_ to leave it," he bit back "I told you to lay low and let me take care of things for both of us but you can never just do as your told can you? You had to go and get yourself mixed up with the fucking Foot Clan." Frustration had him curling his hands into fists, the phone in his grip creaked ominously. "I had it covered Scarlett, we were going to be fine if you'd just let me _handle it_."

Her breathy sobs down the line were his only answer and he focussed on them as he drew air in through his nose in one long heave. "Shit." He swore angrily as his men started down the ally towards him. "Do what I say Scarlett, go back to hiding and keep a low profile unless you want to go back to the Shredder." He softened his voice, eyes flicking up to the roof line where he was certain she was hiding then dropping back to carefully monitored the approach of Tsao, Sid and Fong. "I'll do my best to keep my guys off your trail. Call me in a week if you can."

He clicked off without getting an answer and turned to face his men. "No sign of her, just a waste of our time."

* * *

I let the phone fall from my grasp onto my chest and covered my face with both hands as I lay on the roof. The cold of the concrete under me seeped through my clothes, into my skin and settled around my heart. I mashed the heels of my hands against my mouth and listened to Hayden's voice below me as he ordered his men back to the street. As they left the ally fell back to a relative quiet and after a few moments I pulled myself to my feet, muscles aching in protest after so long lying on a hard surface. With methodical movements I swung my leg over the ledge of the roof and began the slow climb back down to the ally floor with my board under one arm. Standing amongst the shadows and stinking piles of trash I don't think I'd ever felt so low in my entire life. Seeing my big brother tonight was a shock I wasn't prepared for. Having him dismiss me again was a blow I didn't think I was ever going to recover from. My chest hitched again and suddenly all I wanted was to be back in the lair with Mikey and Donny.

I wrapped my arms around my board, hugging it to myself as I headed towards the street, sniffing back tears as I went. The subway entrance was only a block away from here, if I kept my head down and hurried I should be able to make it without any more trouble if I had any luck at all.

My temples were pounding already so, when a heavy thud sounded, at first I didn't react. Dust and small pebbles blew past my shoes in a cloud as if something large had hit the ground behind me and I froze, frowning. I became aware of a menacing presence at my back then a low, sarcastic drawl sent my knees to jelly "And where do you think you're going?"

_Xever_. My mind repeated the name over and over as I went into panic mode. _Xever_.

There was the sound of heavy, mechanical footsteps and then his breath was against my neck causing me to break out in a rash of goosebumps. "We have unfinished business you and I." I shuddered as something, the tip of a finger maybe, travelled down the outside of my arm. "How fortunate I am to have received a call that you had been spotted wandering the streets of China Town all alone." There was a tugging sensation at the back of my jeans and I stood frozen to the spot as Xever pulled the t-cell from my pocket. "Well well, this explains how you've remained hidden from us. The turtles have taken you in. But where are they now I wonder?"

His voice travelled from the back of my neck to my right ear and all I could do was shift my eyes as he came into my peripheral vision. The mechanical whirring continued and each step sounded heavy as he circled me but all curiosity, however minor, fled as he finally came into view. My breath caught in my throat as it too froze in fear, I reflexively clutched my board even tighter as my eyes popped open. The thing standing before me wasn't the same Xever that had dragged me kicking and screaming to TCRI six months ago. The tall lanky dark skinned man had been replaced by a mutant fish. In the dim light of the ally his mottled purple scales gleamed slickly. His broad head was crowned with a jagged looking fin and under that two yellow beady eyes gazed at me with outright malice. His wide mouth split the bottom of his head from one side to the other and from it bristled rows of vicious teeth, some as long as my hand. The rest of his long body tapered away to a fanned fishes tail, two long spindly arms were the only limbs he possessed of his own. Clamped around his waist was a metal belt that connected to two wicked looking mechanical legs. On his back was an orange tank that bubbled and hummed as it fed into the gills on either side of his head.

"Not such a pretty sight anymore am I? Not as lucky as you who got to keep your human form." Xever said with displeasure as he gave me time to run my terrified gaze over him. Then a huge grin spread across his face "But then that in it's self has it's advantages."

With that he spun on the spot and sent one of his metal legs out to kick me squarely in the chest and send me flying deeper into the shadows of the ally. Pain exploded through my ribcage then the breath was driven from me even further as I collided with the ground. I gasped for air as I rolled over, clutching at my chest with one hand. As I groaned in pain my eyes fell on my Vision board and I couldn't help the strangled cry that escaped me when I saw it was lying in two pieces next to me. It must have taken the brunt of Xever's kick, saving me from a shattered rib cage. It still hurt like a motherfucker though and the sight of my broken skateboard only added to the pain.

I cringed as I heard familiar clomping steps zeroing in on me and just had time to protest weakly as the fish mutant hauled me back to my feet. Xever spun me around to look me in the eye, contempt twisting his alien features. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that." He sighed in obvious pleasure. "Master Shredder will be most pleased when I return his daughters pet. You, I think, will not be so happy." With that he slung me over his shoulder and, with only a brief bending of his powerful legs, he shot us both upward toward the roofline.

The first landing jolted the breath in my lungs again but the fear caused my Xever's words caused my mind to sharpen. He was taking me back to the Foot? To the girl Sensei? I started to struggle in earnest, trying to kick out and disrupt his balance as he bent his legs again to take us to the next roof, in response his tightened his grip around my thighs but other than that ignored me. Desperately I scrabbled at the scales covering his back, grimacing with distaste as they left a slimy residue under my fingernails. We landed again with another solid thud and the air whooshed out of my lungs with the impact. Lungs! I narrowed my eyes on the orange tank on Xever's back and followed the tubes to where they connected with the slitted gills behind where the tiny holes of his ears were. The device must be what was allowing him to breathe now that he was a fish out of water.

Xever began running across the rooftop with a surprisingly smooth gate that ate up the distance quickly. Reaching out I took a firm grip of the tube that ran to his right gill and yanked as hard as I could. It separated from his scales with a gloopy kinda _pop_ then I was gagging as the thick liquid from the tank sprayed across my face.

The response from the mutant was immediate and effective, he let out a furious cry then began gasping wetly as he stumbled. We both crashed to the ground when his knees buckled but, even though he was choking on air, he managed to keep a solid hold of my ankle as I tried to scramble away.

"_Cadela_!" he snarled as he dragged me closer by my foot. I screamed in terror as his mouth opened impossibly wide, I was looking down his grey white gullet framed by bristling sharp teeth. I yanked hard, clawing at the ground desperately to get away and for a moment I was sure I was going to break free, he seemed to be struggling to hold onto me. Then with a roar of fury he gave one last haul on my leg and I slid across the loose dirt covering the roof towards his cavernous mouth. His jaw snapped shut on my upper thigh and his teeth sank through my jeans and deep into my leg.

I stared down in wordless horror as my whole leg seemed to disappear into Xevers mouth, the sharp stabbing pain convincing me that he was going to tear the limb off completely. But then with a brutal yank he ripped his teeth free and released my ankle all in one go. I scrabbled backwards away from him leaving a widening train of blood behind me. He watched me go with narrowed, hateful eyes while all around him a pool of goop slowly spread outward from his ruined tank. Gears whirred as he struggled to get his legs under himself and come after me.

All I could think about was putting as much distance between myself and Xever as possible but I didn't get more than a few feet before I realised that a numbing blanket seemed to be falling over me, one that blocked my ears and stopped any signals from my body reaching my brain. My arms turned to jelly and I collapsed back onto the roof, gazing towards the sky with a strange detachment as my mind began floating upward. I felt like I was dying and I didn't care in the least.

Eons passed as I floated dreamily through the stars when abruptly my view was cut by green and purple. I smiled slowly, reaching a hand up to brush over roughened skin but then the paleness of my own fingers caught my attention. "I have too many fingers." My voice sounded slurred and I frowned. "Three...three is the right number."

The world tilted and I stared in fascination as a kaleidoscope of colours resolved themselves into a brand new scene. Now instead of stars there was a rooftop with green figures dancing around a purple fish. The purple band of colour came into view again and I smiled when a name popped into my head "Donny." I looked down slightly and watched his mouth move, sounds slowly resolved themselves into words that I couldn't quite make out. His brown eyes looked so worried, I tried to reassure him "It's ok Donny, I don't blame you" I reached a hand up to pat his cheek again but missed and poked him in the eye "you did the right thing leaving me down there. I'm a bad person...I'm...I'm..." Gentle hands held my hair back as my stomach tried to empty contents it didn't have. I gasped as the heaving finally stopped, my hand heavy as I wiped my mouth with the back of it. Vomiting seemed to have cleared my head a little and I blinked when a conversation going on over my head came into focus.

"...get the antidote ready. Make sure you aren't too far behind me though, she doesn't have..."

I twisted my neck slowly and watched dreamily as a brown shell raced away from me. Donny was leaving again? That's ok I get it. Then the world was tilting once more as I was lifted gently off the ground. Pain pulsed through my leg when a strong arm curled under my thigh and I cried out, my whole body arching, but when a rough voice near my ear shushed soothingly I subsided with a whimper as the side of my head flopped and came to rest on a hard surface.

"He bit me." I told the green shoulder in my line of vision.

"Yeah, Fish Face does that." The deep voice rumbled under my ear in response. "He bit me once too."

"Did you bite him back?" I asked curiously then smiled when a snort of laughter was my answer.

"No, I puked my guts up."

"Me too." I muttered as my eyes slid shut.

* * *

"Mikey! Leo!" The two turtles in question spared a glance over their shoulder as Raph's voice rose with a note of urgency. "We gotta book it, Donny says we don't have long!"

With a grunt of frustration Mikey brought himself to a halt and watched with coiled tension as Xever made a sloppy yet successful jump to the next rooftop, leaving a trail of thick liquid behind as he fled. Leo skidded to a stop beside him and the brothers shared a brief look of regret before turning and running back to Raphael who was standing at the opposite edge of the rooftop cradling Scarlett's limp body and radiating impatience. "Brainiac has gone ahead to mix up the antidote, we need to get going _now_."

Mikey's fists curled as he took in Scarlett's grey face and the blood seeping slowly through her ripped jeans. "I'll take her." He said, already reaching out.

"No." Raph shifted her away from Mikey's grasp by backing up a few steps and lining himself up to get a run at the next roof. He met his younger brothers narrowed eyes and shook his head. "It will hurt her leg too much to shift her again." With that he ran forward as smoothly as he could and leapt the gap between buildings as he followed the path Donny had taken a few minutes earlier.

The nearest manhole was only a few buildings away and by the time they reached it Scarlett was starting to stir again, grimacing in pain as beads of sweat broke out on her forehead. "Hurts." She whimpered as she reached for her leg.

"Don't touch it." Raph admonished so instead she curled further into his chest, gritting her teeth and reaching up to hook her fingertips over the top edge of his plastron, holding on so tight her fingertips turned white. If Raph felt any discomfort from her grip he didn't show it as he waited for Leo to shove the manhole cover aside so he could drop lightly down into the sewer.

For the next while none of the brothers spoke as they jogged towards the lair, the path so familiar to them that there was no hesitation as they travelled the winding tunnels quickly while taking abrupt turns and dodging obstacles along the way. At first Scarlett was equally silent then she looked up and seemed to notice who was holding her.

"Raph?"

The red banded turtle tensed but didn't look down at her, nor did his steps falter although he did shoot his brothers a quick sideways look before answering "Yeah?" in a gruff voice.

"You're carrying me." She sounded bewildered.

"I know."

"But you hate me."

"I don't hate you kid, I just...we got off to a bad start." Raph ignored Mikey's pointed wide eyed look that said, plain as day, that now was the perfect time to offer an apology. He gritted his teeth stubbornly and told himself that apologising now wouldn't mean anything when the girl was delirious.

There was silence for a while as Scarlett digested the information then she whispered "I don't hate you either, you have really strong arms." Her voice dragged a little as she added in a conspiring tone "I love your arms. They punch pretty hard."

A strangled snort of laughter drew both their gazes. Raph glared at his younger brother warningly but Scarlett just grinned drunkenly when she caught sight of Mikey. "Michelechelo." She slurred "I love your...your..." she waved a hand weakly "your face."

"Thanks!" Mikey said brightly then turned to Leo "Man, Xever's poison is like some kind of wicked love potion. The only time Raph's ever told me he loves me was when he got bit. We need to get Donny to bottle it or something."

"I love Donny's kind eyes." Scarlett mused to herself.

"What?" Raph's voice was horrified "No way, I've _never_ said that!"

Mikey just smirked and nodded then laughed at his big brother's expression. "It's ok Raphie, I love you too buddy."

"We're here." Leo stopped beside what appeared to be an unbroken line of brick wall and reached up to pull on the pipe. "Can you guys keep it serious for more than five minutes? We need to get Scarlett inside." He said reproachfully and his younger brothers ducked their heads as they filed past him.

Just as the blue banded turtle made to step in after Raph Scarlett peeked over a large green bicep and solemnly informed him "I love your large sword Leo, it's the best."

There was a shriek of muffled laughter from up ahead and Leo rolled his eyes, glad for the darkness that hid his reddening cheeks. "Thanks Scarlett." He sighed and pushed the lever that would close the door behind him.

"Large sword!" Mikey's voice echoed back to him followed by a thud and a "Ow, hey! Quit kicking at me!"

* * *

I came awake slowly and found my eyes were already open and staring at the ceiling. That was weird. I had the sensation I'd been awake for a long time, that I'd never actually been asleep at all but was only now aware of it. How was that possible?

Memories flittered through my head so fast I couldn't catch one and I frowned as I got flashes of different things. April...Casey? Hayden and...and...Xever as a fish? I blinked and turned my head on the pillow, my stupid dreams must really be getting out of control. Wait a sec, why was I in Donny's lab and not in my own bed?

I tried to sit up and gasped loudly as pain arced through my body. Immediately there was a snort followed by a muffled exclamation then Donny was peering down at me with large, concerned brown eyes. The image sparked a memory of him looking down at me in a similar fashion on the rooftop last night which was enough to set off a chain reaction as the events of yesterday flooded back. I groaned miserably and tried to lift a hand to my head but Donny gently reached out to stop me.

"Not that arm." He smiled kindly. "It's got your drip in it." I looked down and saw a needle in the back of my hand and followed the attached tube with my eyes to see a bag of fluid hanging from a metal hook. "Antidote for the bite and saline to rehydrate you plus some painkillers for your leg and chest." Donatello explained. "Xever took a decent sized chomp on your leg." He moved out of sight for a second and I jumped a little as the table I was lying on started shifting upward so eventually I was sitting more upright.

I smiled a little in thanks as Donny came back around and sank into a chair beside me. "The others all went to bed a few hours ago, I had work to catch up on so we've been keeping each other company." He reached out to brush some hair out of my eyes and the gesture caused a rush of tears to threaten. I turned away a little and willed them back.

"Rough day yesterday huh?"

I gave a weak laugh "Pretty much the worst." I kept my eyes averted and ran a hand down my leg instead, wincing as I got to the bandage that wrapped around my entire upper thigh. I was covered from the waist down by a knitted blanket and I could feel that under the warm fabric I was only wearing my underwear. Another piece of clothing ruined.

The grimace I made at my discovery was interrupted as Donny prompted "Tell me about it?"

I laughed again but this time it was harsh. I turned back to glare at him, tears gone now as anger took it's place. "_Now_ you want to know?" I scoffed. "Yesterday my problems weren't good enough for you to listen to."

Donny hung his head for a moment then sighed. "I'm sorry Scarlett, I was caught up last time you came to talk to me. Sometimes when I'm working I get," he paused to search for the word, "hyper focussed. It's hard for me to switch my train of thought. That doesn't excuse brushing you off like that though and I really am sorry."

He looked back up at me from under his brow and I felt all my anger dissolve at the genuine expression of remorse on his face. "It's ok." I gave a shrug. "I get it." When his face broke into a relieved smile I shook my head at him with a wry smile of my own. "You've been taking lessons from Mikey."

"I'm a fast learner." Donny replied in a haughty tone then winked at me before his face morphed back to a more serious cast. "Please tell me what happened yesterday?"

So I took Donny through the highlights, only leaving out the exact details of the dream that had woken me in a fit of panic and kicked off the whole crappy mess of a day. He listened without interrupting the entire time I talked, leaning back into his chair and frowning lightly, elbows propped on the arm rests and large fingers steepled at mouth level as he nodded and grunted in all the right spots. When I got to the part after Xever bit me I faltered in my story. I honestly had no idea which parts had really happened and which were hallucinations. God, I really hoped I hadn't said the word 'love' as often as I think I did.

"Huh." Donny was watching me thoughtfully. "That is one hell of an awful day, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that at all, let alone in such a short period of time." He leant forward it his chair earnestly and began holding up fingers as he talked, I watched him a little bemused and feeling like the experiences I'd had were about to be broken down into manageable steps by the brainy turtle. It was oddly comforting and I found myself watching him closely.

"So first of all the test from Master Splinter, while both emotionally hard and seemingly cruel, has taught you something valuable about yourself. Your fear no longer controls your mutation which is something you've worked hard for since you came to us. Our father is tough but he is not so unkind as to put you through all that without a very good reason."

I looked down for a moment, frowning, then looked up and nodded slowly. Donny waited for this show of understanding from me before he continued.

"Secondly," another large green finger came up to join the first and I was reminded of Mikey when he'd been giving me a very similar lecture style pep talk a few weeks back. Must be a turtle thing. I smiled and refocussed as Donny said "I can see now that April has unintentionally been dogging your steps for weeks now, her clothes, her room, her missing presence in our lives until a few days ago. She is a huge part our family She was our first and essentially our only genuine human friend until you came along." He paused and waited until I looked at him, holding my gaze earnestly "But Scarlett, you have to know that our affection for her is outside of our friendship with you. We aren't going to replace you with her now that she's back. We haven't known you for as long but trust me when I say we like you and we want you around."

I brushed away a stray tear, finding myself unable to speak I nodded again instead.

"Thirdly," Donny sat back and screwed up his face "Casey Jones is it? That's the name of the guy April has been tutoring at the park? It sounds like his words and actions reflect his appearance." He paused and shot me a look, "In other words he's a complete dick." His voice was disgusted and I laughed out loud in surprise at the crude word dropping out of the turtle's mouth before agreeing horsely "Total douche."

Donny became serious again as he continued. "And as for Hayden, it comes as a surprise to hear that he has worked his way up the ladder with the Purple Dragons so quickly, Xever must see a lot of potential in him and be grooming him quite closely. Hayden was taking a great risk by not holding you captive straight away, the Purple Dragons work for the Foot Clan and Shredder cares nothing for ties of love or family. Your brother will be severely punished if they discover his disobedience. By letting you go it shows he cares about you more than I originally thought but still..." He trailed off with a frown.

"He was never going to win brother of the year award." I said miserably. "But I was hoping that he'd maybe leave the gang if he realised how bad they were."

The pitying look Donny gave me shrivelled my insides and I suddenly realised how naive I sounded. Of course Hayden knew how bad they were, he'd known from the start and he'd joined them deliberately.

"He's in deep Scarlett and getting out again would be very difficult. I think he was hoping that being part of the gang would give you both some much needed protection but sadly it hasn't worked out the way he planned. He was right about one thing though," I sniffed and looked at him questioningly "you need to stay with us. We can watch your back for you." Donny reached out to cover my hand gently and I blinked rapidly against the tears that threatened again.

After a moment the purple banded turtle cleared his throat and drew his hand back from mine. "But, you know, the good thing is you totally messed up Xever's breathing apparatus, it will take him a while to get it fixed. You are seriously hard core."

The admiring look he gave me filled me with warmpth and I shrugged with mock modesty. "Oh you know," I waved a hand dismissively "I grew tired of waiting for you guys to get there so just rescued myself again." I sobered a little and frowned. "I wish I could remember what happened after I got bitten a bit more clearly though, it's all hazy and I'm worried I said some stuff..." I trailed off as Donny's face twisted into a pained expression, then I blanched when I realised he was trying really hard not to bust out laughing. "Oh God, I did didn't I?" Heat flooded my cheeks. "Do I want to know?"

"Uh, maybe Mikey can fill you in on that one." Donny said in a strangled voice. "But just for the record? I love your eyes too." He grinned at me and fluttered his non-existant eyelashes. I groaned loudly even as I laughed reluctantly. "From what I can tell the euphoric feeling is a normal side effect of Xever's poison," Donny said as he sobered up "when Raph got bit he freaked Mikey out completely by saying 'I love you'." He chuckled at the memory then settled back in his chair again. He cleared his throat then said bluntly "So, I guess the last thing for you to tell me before I make you get some much needed rest comes right from the beginning of this whole story. What was the dream about?"

All mirth and embarrassment alike deserted me as he asked the question. I swallowed dryly before replying "You aren't going to like it."

"I already figured that out." Donatello nodded "You dropped some hints while you were delirious. It sounded like it has something to do with thinking you saw me during your time being held captive by the Kraang?"

I nodded and brought my free hand up to rub at my temple. "I wasn't going to tell you...I figured it doesn't really matter now anyway but, I dunno, it's like my subconscious can't let it go or something. I keep dreaming about it and it's awful. I thought maybe if I told you it would stop." I dropped my hand and looked at him helplessly.

"Just tell me Scarlett," Donny prompted "do it like a bandaid, one rip and it's done."

"Ok," I took a deep breath "the Kraang were holding me and the other mutants in an underground facility while they perfected the mind control device. Apparently they were having problems because of the shifting?"

Donny nodded "Yeah, that makes sense."

"Well one night, when I'd been left in my leopard form, the doors to our cells all suddenly disengaged. I thought...I thought it might have been you guys coming to rescue me and I dunno, the idea of it just gave me the push I needed to take control back of my body and leave my cell." I shifted a little and snuck a look at Donny from the corner of my eye, once again his face was pinched in thought and I was coming to think of it as his 'listening face'. I pushed on "None of the other mutants left their cells, I guess their devices worked better than mine or they didn't want to escape or something. The only other...thing I found was a giant newt."

"Oh my..." Donny's voice was leaden with dawning realisation.

"At first he attacked me but then we ended up teaming up to fight the Kraang. He was eating them." I shuddered at the memory. "When he found his armour and put it on it was insane, he was like...like..."

"A Newtraliser."

I looked at the purple banded turtle in surprise then nodded. "Yeah, I guess, anyway he was blasting his way through the Kraang like they were nothing and then I saw you. He was going to shoot a rocket at you and some old guy with red hair as you were running away. I tried to stop him but only managed to throw his aim off."

"Mr O'Neil." Donatello said in a small voice, one hand coming up to rub over his face. "I was there to rescue April's dad."

"Of course." I said in a flat voice. "Of course you were. Jesus. All this time I thought maybe you were there to steal some Kraang technology or something but no, it all comes back to April again." My voice wobbled so I clenched my fists on the blanket and lifted my chin to stare at the ceiling but it was no good, all the tears that had been building and building finally broke free. "And now I'm fucking _crying_!" I wailed chest heaving with restrained sobs.

"I swear Scarlett, by Darwin's beard, I _swear_ I didn't know. I'll make it up to you I promise. I'm _so_ sorry." Donny was leaning forward in his chair again, eyes shiny in a face filled with a helpless sadness.

"I _know_," I choked out "I know but it still hurts. I called to you as loud as I could but you didn't hear me and I just keep thinking that if you'd found me...if I'd managed to escape...I still would have been mutated, but the other stuff..." I turned away and brought my unhindered arm up to cover my face. There was movement beside me then a pair of arms came around me tentatively as if he was worried I would push him away.

I didn't. Instead I turned my body back towards him and let all my grief pour out in a way I hadn't done since I was first in Donny's lab weeks ago. Back then I was crying from fear and pain, now I was sobbing into Donny's neck for everything that had happened to me. Xever and Bradford's cruel treatment, Sensei's twisted ownership of me, Hayden abandoning me over and over, my escape from the Foot and the fact I didn't know what had happened to Kin, the Kraang, my mutation, the tension and fights with Raph, the bad dreams, all the fear I'd felt and injuries I'd sustained along the way.

I cried for what felt like years and, when it all finally subsided, I leant against Donny's chest and hiccuped as I listened to him humming wordlessly while his heart beat strongly under my ear. "I _hate_ crying." I grumbled softly.

"I think you needed it." The turtle said seriously. "There's a lot of stuff you're keeping bottled up." He shifted and I sat back reluctantly certain that I looked like crap. "I meant what I said Scarlett, I'll make it up to you ok?"

I shook my head firmly then winced as my headache flared. "You don't need to Donny, I know you didn't know I was there. I just needed to tell you and get it of my chest."

"I'm glad you did." He gave me a lopsided smile then frowned as a thought occurred to him. Checking his phone quickly he groaned and winced at the time. "You need to get some sleep, it's going to take a while for that leg to heal and you need to be fully recovered before Master Splinter let's you train with us."

"Training?" My voice wavered with hope.

"Yeah, training. Like what I've got starting in about two hours." He sighed and stood reluctantly. "Not the first time I've pulled an all nighter but that's not going to make it any more pleasant." He eyed me seriously and ordered "Sleep." Before turning away.

I smiled wearily and decided the best thing to do was follow the doc's orders. I was just in the middle of turning onto my uninjured side when a memory slammed into my head so hard I gasped, Donny was back at my side immediately. "What is it?"

"The t-phone, Mikey's phone. Xever pulled it from my back pocket when he caught me, I'm so sorry! Can he use it to find the lair?" I was feeling sick with worry at the thought of the mutant fish or anyone else using it to discover my new home and it took a moment to realise Donny was shushing me again.

"It's ok Scarlett, breathe! Mikey saw it in his hand while they were fighting and destroyed it. My phones have an inbuilt, voice activated, self-destruct command." He smiled reassuringly then turned away again and clicked off the light. I took a deep breath of relief as darkness blanketed the lab, the only illumination now coming from Donny's computer screen as he settled back down in front of it to finish his work. As the tension leaked from my body and I began drifting I found myself muttering "Night Donny" and his whispered reply was the last thing I heard before a dreamless sleep took me.

THE END

* * *

SURPRISE! This chapter officially concludes the first part of Scarlett's story. I'm as shocked as you are, trust me, be but it occurred to me as I wrote the last paragraph that this is a really good place to leave it for now. Scarlett has met the turtles, gotten mutated, rescued herself from the Foot (girl power!), then the turtles took her in again. She's gotten to know the boys a bit better while also learning to control her mutation and now she's met April and Casey and gotten back in touch with Hayden. All this concluding with her safe and sound back at the lair and ready to begin her official training with Master Splinter and the turtles...as soon as her leg heals.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my beautiful people who faved, followed and, of course, commented on my story. I'm so glad you like my work. A very special thanks to **Bubbles** and **Tootsie** who left positive feedback pretty much every chapter without fail. There was also Ladyofsouls, Snowhite, Lochocoteddy and Cartoon Lover who dropped me a line regularly (I'm so sorry if I missed anyone). Having said that I love ALL of you who left comments, you made writing my first ever fan fic an amazing experience, I really couldn't have asked for anything more from the fanfiction community. Hugs and kisses for all of you!

Please keep an eye out for the next instalment of Scarlett's story. At this stage I'm thinking of calling it 'Becoming Scar' (which may or may not be a good name for it I have no idea, as you all know I'm always open to suggestions). It will follow very closely to the 2012 version storyline as I am embedded deeply in the tale and have loads of ideas.

Thanks again everyone! And happy Halloween!


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